FULL REPORT OF ASSURANCE OF LEARNING RESULTS

1West Texas A&M UniversityCollege of Business Assessment Results

2008-2009 Academic Year

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1.0 BBA ASSESSMENT: LEARNING GOAL ONE………………….. 1

SECTION 2.0 BBA ASSESSMENT: LEARNING GOAL TWO…………………. 21

SECTION 3.0 BBA ASSESSMENT: LEARNING GOAL THREE………………. 24

SECTION 4.0 BBA ASSESSMENT: LEARNING GOAL FOUR…………………36

4.1 Accounting, Economics and Finance……………………………………..364.1.1 ACCT 2301…………………………………………………...364.1.2 ACCT 2302…………………………………………………...464.1.3 ECON 2301………………………………………………….. 604.1.4 ECON 2302………………………………………………….. 684.1.5 FIN 3320……………………………………………………...77

4.2 Information and Decision Sciences……………………………………….864.2.1 IDM 2342……………………………………………………. 864.2.2 IDM 3330……………………………………………………. 90

4.3 Management, Marketing, and General Business………………………...1084.3.1 BUSI 3312………………………………………………….. 1084.3.2 MGT 3330…………………………………………………...1164.3.3 MKT 3340…………………………………………………...128

4.4 ETS TEST RESULTS…………………………………………………..142

SECTION 5.0 MBA ASSESSMENT……………………………………………… 145

SECTION 6.0 MPA ASSESSMENT……………………………………………….148

SECTION 7.0 MSFE ASSESSMENT……………………………………………...155

SECTION 8.0 AD HOC ASSESSMENT REPORTS……………………………...160

Questions about this document should be directed to Dr. Rex Pjesky, Director of Continuous Improvement, at [email protected] or 806-651-2996

mailto:[email protected]

SECTION 1.0BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING GOAL ONE

Learning Goal #1: Graduates of the BBA program will be effective communicators.

Learning Objective 1.1: Demonstrate effective writing for business.

Assessment Activity in FIN 3350:

Data Collection

Forty-Three students participated in a writing assignment in Ms. Jean Walker’s Financial Planning class (FIN 3350). FIN 3350 is a designated writing course in the COB core. All BBA students must take one writing class.

Students were assigned to write a memo to hypothetical client detailing a retirement plan.

Ms. Walker then provided the student’s papers to the Director of Continuous Improvement (DOCI) who distributed the papers to Dr. Anne Macy, Dr. Rex Pjesky, and Dr. Neil Terry. (Note that Ms. Walker assigned grades to each of the students for purpose of class evaluation. That evaluation was independent and separate from this assessment process.) The committee of three professors was used to reduce the variance of the scores across the assessment process to obtain results that are more comparable across different objectives and assignments.

Drs. Macy, Pjesky, and Terry (the faculty committee) graded each student’s paper using the “Written Communication Assessment Form (BBA)” located on page 13 of the West Texas A&M University College of Business Assessment Plan for the 2008-2009 Academic Year.

The faculty committee graded each student as “poor” (one point,) “acceptable” (two points,) or “excellent” (three points) in the sub categories of content, organization, and language. The faculty committee did not consult with Ms. Walker or among themselves while evaluating the papers.

Analysis

The faculty committee gave the grading rubrics to the DOCI to be analyzed. The DOCI calculated the average score that was given to each student overall and in each of the three sub categories. The results are as follows:

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Table 1.1.1: Results from Ms. Walker’s writing assignment

CATEGORY

PERCENT OF STUDENTS

RECEIVING A “POOR” SCORE

PERCENT OF STUDENTS

RECEIVING AN “ACCEPTABLE”

SCORE

PERCENT OF STUDENTS

RECEIVING AN “EXCELLENT”

SCOREOverall 21 74 5Content 21 74 5

Organization 19 74 7Language 28 65 7

Table 1.1.1 reports detailed information about how the faculty committee rated the students. To receive a “poor” score overall, a student must average between 3 (the lowest possible on the scale) and 5.9. An average score of 6.0 and 8.9 was considered “acceptable.” To be rated “excellent,” a student must average 9 on the scale; that is, the student must be rated excellent by all three faculty judges in all three categories.

Similarly, to be rated “poor,” “acceptable,” or “excellent” in the subcategories of content, organization, and language, a student had to have an average in those categories of 1-1.9, 2-2.9, and 3, respectively.

Overall (the average of the three categories) 79% of the students in the sample scored “acceptable” or higher. The students performed similarly well in the content and organization criteria. In the content category, 81% scored “acceptable” or higher. In the organization category, 83% scored acceptable or higher. In the language category, students did slightly worse. Only 72% of the students scored “acceptable” or “excellent” while 28% scored “poor.”

Recommendation(s) for Improvement

While the students did well (79% were acceptable or better) there is still room for improvement. To improve the outcome, the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement the following solutions:

Make significant improvement to the group of courses designated as writing courses. (College of Business writing courses are courses across the College of Business emphasizing writing. All students must take at least one of these courses.) These courses, while they should differ in the subject matter being taught, should be similar in the types of writing assignments assigned, the way these assignments are graded, and the expectations the professor has of the students.

Make the Written Communication Assessment Form (BBA) a uniform grading rubric across the College of Business Writing Courses. This should teach students to focus on what the faculty of the College of Business considers good writing, which is excellence in content, organization and language.

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Documentation

The process used to assess, analyze, and implement change must be documented. Attach to this report the pertinent part of the minutes of department or curriculum committee meetings detailing the activities in this process and the steps taken for continuous improvement for each learning goal.

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Assessment Activity in MKT 4348:

Data Collection

Eighteen students participated in a writing assignment in Dr. Syed Anwar’s Marketing Strategies class (MKT 4348). Marketing Strategies is the capstone course for students majoring in marketing; therefore, this assignment assessed students at the end of the BBA program.

The assignment was an in-class writing task. Students were asked to read an article (Birchall, Jonathan, “Investment in customer experience key to survival,” Financial Times, March 17, 2009, p. 15), then write a short summary and critique of that article.

Dr. Anwar then provided the students’ papers to the Director of Continuous Improvement (DOCI) who distributed the papers to Dr. Darlene Pulliam, Dr. Aida Ramos, and Dr. Jane Xiao. (Note that Dr. Anwar assigned grades to each of the students for purpose of class evaluation. That evaluation was independent and separate from this assessment process.) The committee of three professors was used to reduce the variance of the scores across the assessment process to obtain results that are more comparable across different objectives and assignments.

Drs. Pulliam, Ramos, and Xiao (the faculty committee) graded each student’s paper using the “Written Communication Assessment Form (BBA)” located on page 13 of the West Texas A&M University College of Business Assessment Plan for the 2008-2009 Academic Year.

The faculty committee graded each student as “poor” (one point,) “acceptable” (two points,) or “excellent” (three points) in the sub categories of content, organization, and language. The faculty committee did not consult with Dr. Anwar or among themselves while evaluating the papers.

Analysis


Table 1.1.2 reports detailed information about how the faculty committee rated the students. To receive a “poor” score overall, a student must average between 3 (the lowest possible on the scale) and 5.9. An average score of 6.0 and 8.9 was considered “acceptable.” To be rated “excellent,” a student must average 9 on the scale; that is the student must be rated excellent by all three faculty judges in all three categories.

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Table 1.1.2: Results from Dr. Anwar’s writing assignment

CATEGORY

PERCENT OF STUDENTS


PERCENT OF STUDENTS


SCORE

PERCENT OF STUDENTS





Overall (the average of the three categories) 83% of the students in the sample scored “acceptable” or higher. The students performed similarly well in the content and organization criteria. In each category, 83% scored “acceptable” or higher. In the language category, students did slightly worse. Only 67% of the students scored “acceptable” or “excellent” while 33% scored “poor.”


While the students did well (83% were acceptable) there is still room for improvement. No student received excellent marks from the entire committee in each category, and only one student received uniform excellent marks in two subcategories (organization and language.) To improve the outcome the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement the following solutions:



5

Documentation


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Data Collection

Thirteen students participated in a writing assignment in Dr. Syed Anwar’s Marketing Strategies class (MTK 4348). Marketing Strategies is the capstone course for students majoring in marketing; therefore this assignment assessed students at the end of the BBA program.

The assignment was an in-class writing task. Students were asked to read an article, (Rohwedder, Cecilie. “Zara grows as retail rivals struggle,” Wall Street Journal, March 26, 2009, page b1 and b5), then write a short summary and critique of that article.

Dr. Anwar then provided the students’ papers to the Director of Continuous Improvement (DOCI) who distributed the papers to Dr. Chris Furner, Dr. Randall Jarmon, and Dr. Turkan Kilic. (Note that Dr. Anwar assigned grades to each of the students for purpose of class evaluation. That evaluation was independent and separate from this assessment process.) The committee of three professors was used to reduce the variance of the scores across the assessment process to obtain results that are more comparable across different objectives and assignments.

Drs. Furner, Jarmon, and Kilic (the faculty committee) graded each student’s paper using the “Written Communication Assessment Form (BBA)” located on page 13 of the West Texas A&M University College of Business Assessment Plan for the 2008-2009 Academic Year.

The faculty committee graded each student as “poor” (one point,) “acceptable” (two points,) or “excellent” (three points) in the sub categories of content, organization, and language. The faculty committee did not consult with Dr. Anwar or among themselves while evaluating the papers.

Analysis

The faculty committee gave the grading rubrics to the Director of Continuous Improvement (DOCI) improvement to be analyzed. The DOCI calculated the average score that was given to each student overall and in each of the three sub categories. The results are as follows:

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Table 1.1.3: Results from Dr. Anwar’s second writing assignment

CATEGORY

PERCENT OF STUDENTS


PERCENT OF STUDENTS


SCORE

PERCENT OF STUDENTS






Overall (the average of the three categories) 62% of the students in the sample scored “acceptable” or higher (38% scored “poor”). In the content sub-category, 69% scored acceptable while 8% scored “excellent” (23% scored “poor”). In the organization sub-category, 62% scored “acceptable” and 8% scored “excellent”. Finally, in the language sub-category, 62% scored “acceptable” (38% scored “poor”).


The students did not do well (only 62% were acceptable) so there is remarkable room for improvement. No student received excellent marks from the entire committee in each category, and only one student received uniform excellent marks in two subcategories (content and organization.) To improve the outcome, the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement the following solutions:


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Documentation


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Learning Objective 1.2: Demonstrate effective oral communication for business.


Data Collection

Five students participated in an oral presentation in Dr. Syed Anwar’s International Marketing class (MKT 4340).

The assignment was an in-class team presentation. The Director of Continuous Improvement (DOCI) video recorded the presentation of one team that consisted of five students. This team of students was asked to evaluate an international clothing company’s overall marketing campaign and compare it to competitor’s marketing campaigns. Their presentation lasted approximately one hour. The DOCI then provided the students’ presentation on DVD to a committee of three faculty members to evaluate the oral presentation skills of the students using the rubric located on page 14 of the West Texas A&M University College of Business Assessment Plan for the 2008-2009 Academic Year.

The committee consisted of Dr. Musa Jafar, Dr. Rex Pjesky, and Ms. Alice Upshaw. (Note that Dr. Anwar assigned grades to each of the students for purpose of class evaluation. That evaluation was independent and separate from this assessment process.) The committee of three professors was used to reduce the variance of the scores across the assessment process to obtain results that are more comparable across different objectives and assignments.

The faculty committee graded each student as “poor” (one point,) “acceptable” (two points,) or “excellent” (three points) in the areas of content, organization, and delivery. The faculty committee did not consult with Dr. Anwar or among themselves while evaluating the presentation.

Analysis


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Table 1.2.1: Results from Dr. Anwar’s oral presentation

CATEGORY

PERCENT OF STUDENTS


PERCENT OF STUDENTS


SCORE

PERCENT OF STUDENTS



Organization 0 100 0Delivery 0 100 0

Table 1.2.1 reports detailed information about how the faculty committee rated the students. To receive a “poor” score overall, a student must average between 3 (the lowest possible on the scale) and 5.9. An average score of 6.0 and 8.9 was considered “acceptable.” To be rated excellent,” a student must average 9 on the scale; that is, the student must be rated excellent by all three faculty judges in all three categories.


All students scored “acceptable” in all areas.


The students did well (all students were deemed acceptable) but there is remarkable room for improvement. No student received excellent marks from the entire committee in either overall or in any individual subcategory. To improve the outcome the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement the following solutions:

Solutions to be added

Documentation


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Learning Objective 1.2: Demonstrate effective oral communication for business.

Assessment Activity in BUSI 3312:

Data Collection

Twenty-two students participated in an oral presentation assignment in Dr. Gary Rider’s Business Law class (BUSI 3312.)

The assignment was an in-class team presentation. Students were paired to discuss a legal case relevant to business law. The Director of Continuous Improvement (DOCI) video recorded the presentations of eleven pairs of students. Each team’s presentation lasted approximately 10 minutes. The DOCI then provided the students’ presentations on DVD to a committee of three faculty members to evaluate the oral presentation skills of the students using the rubric located on page 14 of the West Texas A&M University College of Business Assessment Plan for the 2008-2009 Academic Year.

The committee consisted of Dr. Musa Jafar, Dr. Rex Pjesky, and Ms. Alice Upshaw. (Note that Dr. Rider assigned grades to each of the students for purpose of class evaluation. That evaluation was independent and separate from this assessment process.) The committee of three professors was used to reduce the variance of the scores across the assessment process to obtain results that are more comparable across different objectives and assignments.

The faculty committee graded each student as “poor” (one point,) “acceptable” (two points,) or “excellent” (three points) in the areas of content, organization, and delivery. The faculty committee did not consult with Dr. Rider or among themselves while evaluating the presentations.

Analysis


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Table 1.2.2: Results from Dr. Rider’s oral presentations

CATEGORY

PERCENT OF STUDENTS


PERCENT OF STUDENTS


SCORE

PERCENT OF STUDENTS



Organization 41 59 0Delivery 59 41 0



Overall, only 55% of students received an “acceptable” mark from the faculty committee. Eighty-six percent, 59%, and 41% scored “acceptable” or higher in the content, organization and delivery categories, respectively.


The students did not do well (only 55 of presentations were deemed acceptable) so there is remarkable room for improvement. The best area was in content, where 86 percent of students scored acceptable. To improve the outcome the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement the following solutions:


Documentation


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Learning Objective 1.3: Demonstrate effective electronic communication for business.

Assessment Activity in IDM 2342:

Data Collection

Sixty-seven students across all the sections of IDM 2342 were asked questions on the final exam. These questions were standard across the sections of IDM 2342.

Analysis

The faculty who teach IDM 2342 graded the completed questions. All questions were answered correctly by the students. This is far above the College of Business’ expectations.


The students did well (100% of spreadsheets were correct.) There is no room for improvement.


Documentation


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Data Collection

Seventy-two students across all the sections of IDM 3330 were asked to create a spreadsheet to help keep track of a client’s finances and to calculate how affordable home ownership might be. Students were to keep track of monthly income and expenses to track the payoff of debt and the accumulation of savings.

Students were also to make the spreadsheet look professional.

Analysis

The faculty who teach IDM 3330 graded the completed assignments. Eighty-one point nine percent of students did this assignment correctly. This is far above the College of Business’ expectations.


The students did well (82% of spreadsheets were correct.) But there is room for improvement. To improve the outcome, the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement the following solutions:


Documentation


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Data Collection

Seventy-two students across all the sections of IDM 3330 were asked to create a spreadsheet to use pivot tables to perform basic data mining for developing business intelligence. Students were also to make the spreadsheet look professional.

Analysis

The faculty who teach IDM 3330 graded the completed assignments. Eighty-six point one percent of students did this assignment correctly. This is far above the College of Business’ expectations.


The students did well (86% of spreadsheets were correct.) But there is room for improvement. To improve the outcome, the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement the following solutions:


Documentation


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Data Collection

Seventy-two students across all the sections of IDM 3330 were asked to create a database with Microsoft Access. Each student was given a dataset to be entered into Access to learn the basic functions of Access.

Analysis

The faculty who teach IDM 3330 graded the completed assignments. Sixty-nine point four percent of students did this assignment correctly. This is just below the College of Business’ expectations.


The students did poorly (69% of databases were correct.) So there is room for improvement. To improve the outcome, the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement the following solutions:


Documentation


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Data Collection

Seventy-two students across all the sections of IDM 3330 were asked to create a database with Microsoft Access. Each student was given a dataset to be entered into Access to learn the basic functions of Access. This assignment was more advanced than the previous one.

Analysis

The faculty who teach IDM 3330 graded the completed assignments. Seventy-six point four percent of students did this assignment correctly. This is above the College of Business’ expectations.


The students did well (76.4% of databases were correct.) But there is room for improvement. To improve the outcome, the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement the following solutions:


Documentation


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Assessment Activity in ECON 4342:

Data Collection

Twenty-nine students participated in an electronic PowerPoint presentation assignment in Dr. Rex Pjesky’s Economics of the Public Sector class.

The students were instructed to produce a PowerPoint presentation from the following talk by economist Arnold Kling. They were to pretend they were Kling giving this talk and asked to produce slides to complement their talk. Kling’s talk can be found here:

http://www.catomedia.org/archive-2007/hba-12-12-07.mp3

The reason the instructor of the class did this assignment in this particular way was to isolate the student’s ability and proficiency at using PowerPoint. Students use PowerPoint often for class presentations, but usually must also formulate the presentation itself. This assignment eliminated that step to separate the student’s efforts at coming up with the content of the presentation and the presentation itself.

The Director of Continuous Improvement (DOCI) then provided the students’ presentations on DVD to a committee of three faculty members to evaluate the electronic communication skills of the students using the rubric located on page 15 of the West Texas A&M University College of Business Assessment Plan for the 2008-2009 Academic Year.

The committee consisted of Ms. Karen Cooley, Dr. Anne Macy, and Dr. Sean Murphy. (Note that Dr. Pjesky assigned grades to each of the students for purpose of class evaluation. That evaluation was independent and separate from this assessment process.) The committee of three professors was used to reduce the variance of the scores across the assessment process to obtain results that are more comparable across different objectives and assignments.

The faculty committee graded each student as “poor” (one point,) “acceptable” (two points,) or “excellent” (three points) in the area of information processing. The faculty committee did not consult with Dr. Pjesky or among themselves while evaluating the presentations.

Analysis


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http://www.catomedia.org/archive-2007/hba-12-12-07.mp3

Table 1.3.1: Results from Dr. Pjesky’s electronic presentations

CATEGORY

PERCENT OF STUDENTS


PERCENT OF STUDENTS


SCORE

PERCENT OF STUDENTS


SCORE

Information Processing

17 72 10

Table 1.3.1 reports detailed information about how the faculty committee rated the students. To receive a “poor” score overall, a student must average between 1 (the lowest possible on the scale) and 1.9. An average score of 2.0 and 2.9 was considered “acceptable.” To be rated “excellent,” a student must average 3 on the scale; that is, the student must be rated excellent by all three faculty judges.

Overall, 72% of students received an acceptable score from the faculty committee. Ten percent received an “excellent” score, and 17% received a “poor” score.

For the raw numbers used to generate this report, see Appendix ‘X’.


The students did well (72% of presentations were deemed “acceptable” and another 10% of the presentations were judged as “excellent”) but there is room for improvement. The best area was in content, where 86 percent of students scored acceptable. To improve the outcome, the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement the following solutions:


Documentation


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ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING GOAL TWO


Learning Objective 2.1: Demonstrate effective critical thinking skills.


Data Collection

Fifty-three students across all the sections of IDM 2342 were asked questions on the final exam. These questions were standard across the sections of IDM 2342 and specifically designed to test the critical thinking skills of the students through statistical problem solving.

Analysis

The faculty who teach IDM 2342 graded the completed questions. Seventy-nine percent of the questions were answered correctly by the students. This is far above the College of Business’ expectations.


The students did well (79% of spreadsheets were correct.) There is room for improvement.


Documentation


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Learning Goal #2: Graduates of the BBA program will have effective critical thinking skills.

Learning Objective 2.1: Demonstrate effective critical thinking skills.


Data Collection

Twenty-seven students participated in a critical thinking exercise in Dr. Neil Terry’s Labor Economics class.

The students were assigned “The Case of Peter Hastings” as a critical thinking skills application. The case was written by Richard Chait, Professor of Higher Education at Harvard. Peter Hastings was a minister with problematic personal circumstances and questionable religious activities. The situation eventually required action from Bishop Morrill, Hasting’s supervisor.

The assignment asked the students to assume the role of Bishop Morrill and resolve the case of Peter Hastings. Students wrote a 100 to 350 word essay which described how they would deal with Peter Hastings. Dr. Terry then provided the Director of Continuous Improvement (DOCI) with copies of the students written papers. The DOCI then provided the students’ papers along with the case and the assignment to a committee of three faculty members. The faculty committee then evaluated the students’ papers for the quality of their ability to think critically using the rubric located on page 16 of the West Texas A&M University College of Business Assessment Plan for the 2008-2009 Academic Year.

The committee consisted of Dr. Andrew Li, Dr. Pradeep Racherla, and Dr. Syed Anwar. (Note that Dr. Terry assigned grades to each of the students for purpose of class evaluation. That evaluation was independent and separate from this assessment process.) The committee of three professors was used to reduce the variance of the scores across the assessment process to obtain results that are more comparable across different objectives and assignments.

The faculty committee graded each student as “poor” (one point,) “acceptable” (two points,) or “excellent” (three points) in the areas of content, organization, and delivery. The faculty committee did not consult with Dr. Terry or among themselves while evaluating the papers.

Analysis

The faculty committee gave the grading rubrics to the DOCI to be analyzed. The DOCI calculated the average score that was given to each student overall and in each of the four sub categories. The results are as follows:

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Table 2.1.1: Results from Dr. Terry’s critical thinking assignment.

CATEGORY

PERCENT OF STUDENTS


PERCENT OF STUDENTS


SCORE

PERCENT OF STUDENTS


SCOREOverall 44 56 0

Identification 63 37 0Evaluation 30 70 0Analysis 33 67 0Decision 33 63 4

Table 2.1.1 reports detailed information about how the faculty committee rated the students. To receive a “poor” score overall, a student must average between 3 (the lowest possible on the scale) and 5.9. An average score of 6.0 and 8.9 was considered “acceptable.” To be rated “excellent,” a student must average 9 on the scale; that is, the student must be rated excellent by all three faculty judges in all four categories.

Similarly, to be rated “poor,” “acceptable,” or “excellent” in the subcategories of “identification,” “evaluation,” “analysis,” and “decision,” a student’s score had to average in those categories 1-1.9, 2-2.9, and 3, respectively.

Overall, only 56% of students received an acceptable mark or better from the faculty committee. Furthermore, 37%, 70%, 67%, and 67% were acceptable or better



The students did not do well (only 56 of essays were deemed acceptable) so there is remarkable room for improvement. To improve the outcome, the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement the following solutions:


Documentation


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SECTION 3.0BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATIONASSESSMENT OF LEARNING GOAL THREE

Learning Goal #3: Graduates of the BBA program will be aware of their Business Environment.

Learning Objective 3.1: Demonstrate effective ethical decision-making skills. Assessment Activity in IDM 3330:

Data Collection

IDM 3330 (Management Information Systems) is a college of business core course. That is, all business students must take it. The course is assessed to determine the level of learning in the information systems area (as per College of Business Goal 4), but some of the objectives fit into the other three goals as well.

The third learning objective of IDM 3330 is: “students will gain appreciation for the ethical and social issues related to information systems.” This fits into Learning Objective 3.1 of the College of Business.

The faculty members who teach IDM 3330 administer a common multiple choice exam in every section of IDM 3330. This common exam had one section of 14 questions which related to College of Business Learning Objective 3.1. Seventy two students took the exam. The results, which are also nested in the results for IDM 3330 in the section about Learning Goal #4, are reported here.

Analysis

Seventy-eight percent students answered the question correctly. This is above the College of Business’s threshold; that is, the results were acceptable.


Documentation


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Learning Objective 3.1: Demonstrate effective ethical decision-making skills. Assessment Activity in MGT 3330:

Data Collection

MGT 3330 (Principles of Management) is a College of Business core course. That is, all business students must take it. The course is assessed to determine the level of learning in the management area (as per College of Business Goal 4), but some of the objectives fit into the other three goals as well.

The fifth learning objective of MGT 3330 is: “students will demonstrate the ability to understand, analyze and resolve ethical dilemmas they may encounter in business situations.” This fits into Learning Objective 3.1 of the College of Business.

The Management faculty members who teach MGT 3330 administer a common multiple choice exam in every section of MGT 3330. This common exam had one question which related to College of Business Learning Objective 3.1. Seventy two students took the exam. The results, which are also nested in the results for MGT 3330 in the section about Learning Goal #4, are reported here.

Analysis

Sixty-seven percent students answered the question correctly. This is below the College of Business’s threshold; that is, the results were unacceptable.


Documentation


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Learning Objective 3.1: Demonstrate effective ethical decision-making skills. Assessment Activity in BUSI 3312:

Data Collection

BUSI 3312 (Business Law) is a College of Business core course. That is, all business students must take it. The course is assessed to determine the level of learning in the management area (as per College of Business Goal 4), but some of the objectives fit into the other three goals as well.

The third learning objective of BUSI 3312 is: “students will demonstrate knowledge of the consequences of unethical and illegal business behavior.” This fits into Learning Objective 3.1 of the College of Business.

The faculty members who teach BUSI 3312 administer a common multiple choice exam in every section of MGT 3312. This common exam had one question which related to College of Business Learning Objective 3.1. Thirty two students took the exam. The results, which are also nested in the results for BUSI 3312 in the section about Learning Goal #4, are reported here.

Analysis

Sixty-four percent students answered the question correctly. This is below the College of Business’s threshold; that is, the results were unacceptable.


Documentation


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Learning Objective 3.1: Demonstrate effective ethical decision-making skills. Assessment Activity in MKT 3340:

Data Collection

MKT 3340 (Principles of Marketing) is a College of Business core course. That is, all business students must take it. The course is assessed to determine the level of learning in the marketing area (as per College of Business Goal 4), but some of the objectives fit into the other three goals as well.

The sixth learning objective of MKT 3340 is: “students will comprehend the ethical responsibilities of marketing professionals.” This fits into Learning Objective 3.1 of the College of Business.

The Marketing faculty members who teach MKT 3340 administer a common multiple choice exam in every section of MKT 3340. This common exam had one question which related to College of Business Learning Objective 3.1. Seventy two students took the exam. The results, which are also nested in the results for MKT 3340 in the section about Learning Goal #4, are reported here.

Analysis

One hundred twelve students took the exam. Eighty percent of the questions were answered correctly. This is above the College of Business’s threshold; that is, the results were acceptable.


Documentation


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Learning Objective 3.1: Demonstrate effective ethical decision-making skills.


Data Collection

Twenty-five students participated in a ethics skills application in Dr. Neil Terry’s Labor Economics class (ECON 4351.)

The students were assigned “The Case of Einstein’s Letter” as an exercise to consider ethical decision making.

Within the limits of 200-400 words, students were to 1) Identify the ethical dilemma; 2) Construct the moral dilemma facing Einstein; 3) Evaluate the arguments among the scientific community for and against the U.S. building the nuclear bomb; 4) Explain why Einstein was right or wrong with respect to writing the letter. Dr. Terry then provided the Director of Continuous Improvement (DOCI) with copies of the students’ written papers. The DOCI then provided the students’ papers along with the case and the assignment to a committee of three faculty members. The faculty committee then evaluated the students’ papers for the quality of their ability to think critically using the rubric located on page 17 of the West Texas A&M University College of Business Assessment Plan for the 2008-2009 Academic Year.

The committee consisted of Dr. Laura Kreissl, Dr. Darlene Pulliam, and Dr. Barbara Wang. (Note that Dr. Terry assigned grades to each of the students for purpose of class evaluation. That evaluation was independent and separate from this assessment process.) The committee of three professors was used to reduce the variance of the scores across the assessment process to obtain results that are more comparable across different objectives and assignments.

The faculty committee graded each student as “poor” (one point,) “acceptable” (two points,) or “excellent” (three points) in the areas of content, organization, and delivery. The faculty committee did not consult with Dr. Terry or among themselves while evaluating the papers.

Analysis


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Table 3.1.1: Results from Dr. Terry’s ethical decision making assignment.

CATEGORY

PERCENT OF STUDENTS


PERCENT OF STUDENTS


SCORE

PERCENT OF STUDENTS



Identification 12 76 12Construction 8 76 16Evaluation 8 76 16Decision 32 60 8



Overall, 76% of students received an acceptable mark or better from the faculty committee. Furthermore, 88%, 92%, 92%, and 68% were acceptable or better in the “identification,” “construction,” “evaluation,” and “decision” subcategory, respectively.


The students did well (76% of presentations were deemed acceptable) but there remains room for improvement. To improve the outcome, the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement the following solutions:


Documentation


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Learning Objective 3.2: Demonstrate awareness of global economic issues. Assessment Activity in ECON 2301:

Data Collection

ECON 2301 (Principles of Macroeconomics) is a College of Business core course. That is, all business students must take it. The course is assessed to determine the level of learning in the macroeconomics area (as per College of Business Goal 4), but some of the objectives fit into the other three goals as well.

The sixth learning objective of ECON 2301 is: “students will demonstrate an understanding of the financial linkages between countries and the impact of these linkages on national economic performance and living standards.” This fits into Learning Objective 3.2 of the College of Business.

The Economics faculty members who teach ECON 2301 administer a common multiple choice exam in every section of ECON 2301. This common exam has three questions for each learning objective, including the objective on international trade and finance.

Ninety One students took the exam. The results, which are also nested in the results for Econ 2301 in the section about Learning Goal #4, are reported here.

Analysis

Students answered 63.7% of the questions correctly. This is below the College of Business’s threshold; that is, the results were unacceptable.


Documentation


30



Data Collection

ECON 2302 (Principles of Microeconomics) is a College of Business core course. That is, all business students must take it. The course is assessed to determine the level of learning in the macroeconomics area (as per College of Business Goal 4), but some of the objectives fit into the other three goals as well.

The sixth learning objective of ECON 2302 is: “students will describe how the concepts of comparative advantage and specialization lead to gains from trade.” This fits into Learning Objective 3.2 of the College of Business.

The Economics faculty members who teach ECON 2302 administer a common multiple choice exam in every section of ECON 2302. This common exam has three questions for each learning objective, including the objective on international trade and finance.

One hundred forty-five students took the exam. The results, which are also nested in the results for ECON 2302 in the section about Learning Goal #4, are reported here.

Analysis

Students answered 84.6% of the questions correctly. This is well above the College of Business’s threshold; that is, the results were acceptable.


Documentation


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Learning Objective 3.2: Demonstrate awareness of global economic issues. Assessment Activity in MGT 3330:

Data Collection

MGT 3330 (Principles of Management) is a College of Business core course. That is, all business students must take it. The course is assessed to determine the level of learning in the management area (as per College of Business Goal 4), but some of the objectives fit into the other three goals as well.

The fifth learning objective of MGT 3330 is “students will identify and describe the impact of domestic and international institutions and markets on business.” This fits into Learning Objective 3.2 of the College of Business.

The Management faculty members who teach MGT 3330 administer a common multiple choice exam in every section of MGT 3330. This common exam had two questions which related to College of Business Learning Objective 3.2. Seventy two students took the exam. The results, which are also nested in the results for MGT 3330 in the section about Learning Goal #4, are reported here.

Analysis

Students answered 85.4% of the questions correctly. This is well above the College of Business’s threshold; that is, the results were acceptable.


Documentation


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Learning Objective 3.2: Demonstrate awareness of global economic issues. Assessment Activity in FIN 3320:

Data Collection

FIN 3320 (Principles of Finance) is a College of Business core course. That is, all business students must take it. The course is assessed to determine the level of learning in the finance area (as per College of Business Goal 4), but some of the objectives fit into the other three goals as well.

The eighth learning objective of FIN 3320 is: “students will develop and demonstrate knowledge of multinational financial management.” This fits into learning objective 3.2 of the college of business.

The Finance faculty members who teach FIN 3320 administer a common multiple choice exam in every section of FIN 3320. This common exam has three questions for each learning objective, including the objective on multinational financial management.

Ninety One students took the exam. The results, which are also nested in the results for FIN 3320 in the section about Learning Goal #4, are reported here.

Analysis

Students answered 65.9% of the questions correctly. This is below the College of Business’s threshold; that is, the results were unacceptable.


Documentation


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Data Collection

Twenty-two students participated in an assignment that made them apply knowledge of global economics issues in Dr. Rex Pjesky’s World Economic Development class (ECON 4342.)

The students were assigned to write a 750 word essay on an world development issue in the style of a newspaper “op ed” column.

Dr. Pjesky then provided the Director of Continuous Improvement (DOCI) with copies of the students’ written papers. The DOCI then provided the students’ papers along with the case and the assignment to a committee of three faculty members. The faculty committee then evaluated the students’ papers for the quality of their ability to think critically using the rubric located on page 18 of the West Texas A&M University College of Business Assessment Plan for the 2008-2009 Academic Year.

The committee consisted of Dr. De’Arno De’Armond, Dr. Kayrn Friske, and Dr. Bin Shao. (Note that Dr. Pjesky assigned grades to each of the students for purpose of class evaluation. That evaluation was independent and separate from this assessment process.) The committee of three professors was used to reduce the variance of the scores across the assessment process to obtain results that are more comparable across different objectives and assignments.

The faculty committee graded each student as “poor” (one point,) “acceptable” (two points,) or “excellent” (three points) in the areas of connectivity, organizations, individual, and technology. The faculty committee did not consult with Dr. Pjesky or among themselves while evaluating the papers.

Analysis


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Table 3.2.1: Results from Dr. Pjesky’s global economic development assignment.

CATEGORY

PERCENT OF STUDENTS


PERCENT OF STUDENTS


SCORE

PERCENT OF STUDENTS



Connectivity 18 82 0Organization 9 82 9

Individual 36 64 0Technology 36 59 5



Overall, 64% of students received an acceptable mark or better from the faculty committee. Furthermore, 82%, 91%, 64%, and 64% were acceptable or better in the “connectivity,” “organizations,” “individual,” and “technology” subcategories, respectively.



The students did not do well (only 64% of papers were deemed acceptable) so there remains room for improvement. To improve the outcome, the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement the following solutions:


Documentation


35


ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING GOAL FOUR

SECTION 4.1BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING GOAL FOUR ACCOUNTING, ECONOMICS AND FINANCE

Section 4.1.1

Learning Goal #4: Graduates of the BBA program will be knowledgeable in the functional areas of business and their integration.

Learning Objective #4.1a1: Graduates of the BBA program will demonstrate a basic understanding of the common body of knowledge in Financial Accounting.

Assessment Activity in ACCT 2301:

Data Collection

The Accounting faculty administered a set of questions to the 107 students taking ACCT 2301 in Spring 2009. The questions were embedded on the final exam and related specifically to the seven learning objectives common to all sections of ACCT 2301. These learning objectives are:

1. Elements of the accounting equation and basic facets of double entry accounting2. Financial statements and their purpose3. Accounting for cash and preparing a bank reconciliation4. Accounting for types of receivables and payables5. Accounting for routine inventory issues6. Issues related to long term assets including acquisition, use and disposition7. Payroll accounting issues

See Appendix A for the embedded questions on the exams related to each of the above enumerated learning objectives.

Analysis

The accounting faculty graded the work of their own students and reported the results to Dr. James Owens, the department head responsible for Accounting. Dr. Owens synthesized the results and presented them to the DOCI.

See Appendix B for the results arranged by learning objective as noted above.

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The College of Business has determined that a score of 70% or better is acceptable for the course embedded questions.

Students did acceptable work (greater than 70% correct) for every course learning objective. We are in the process of examining the questions where the students did not perform at an acceptable level to determine if they are reasonable for that particular topic or if there is a problem with the manner in which we are presenting a block of material. We will review the material presented in class and the nature of the questions regarding Objective 3 since cash management and bank statement reconciliation would seem to be one of the less demanding parts of the course, but students had the most difficulty with this material.

Recommendations(s) for Improvement

We are in the process of reviewing the questions for relevance given that in a few cases, allegedly easier questions had lower scores than those questions purported to be more difficult. We are also reviewing the relative amount of time and effort devoted to each block of material considered essential to a proper understanding of Accounting Principles.

Documentation

Faculty members in the Accounting area, together with the Department Head, will interact with the Director of Continuous Improvement and the Dean of the College of Business regarding needed changes both in the focus of the course materials as well as potential curriculum changes. These discussions will take place in sufficient time to make needed changes in course materials before the next long semester.

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Appendix A

1. Learning Objective: Elements of the accounting equation and basic facets of double entry accounting

1. Which of the following is not a true statement about the accounting equation and its elements?a. The accounting equation is Assets = Liabilities – Owners’ Equity.b. Assets are the resources a business possesses.c. Liabilities represent debts of a business.d. Examples of assets are cash, accounts receivable, supplies and equipment.e. Owners’ equity represents the rights of the owners.

2. Revenue should be recognized whena. cash is receivedb. the service is performedc. the customer places an orderd. the customer charges an order

3. Which of the following entries record the purchase of equipment on account?a. Equipment, debit; Accounts Payable, creditb. Equipment, debit; Cash creditc. Accounts Payable, debit; Equipment, creditd. Accounts Payable, debit; Notes Payable, credit

2. Learning Objective: Financial statements and their purpose

4. The financial statement that presents a summary of the revenues and expenses of a business for a specific period of time, such as a month or a year, is called a(n)

a. Prior period statementb. Statement of owner’s equityc. Income statementd. Balance sheet

5. Liabilities are reported on thea. income statementb. statement of owner’s equityc. statement of cash flowsd. balance sheet

6. The Statement of Owner’s Equity showsa. only net income, beginning and ending capitalb. only total assets, beginning and ending capitalc. only net income, beginning capital, and withdrawalsd. all the changes in the owner’s capital as a result of net income, net loss, additional

investments, and withdrawals.

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3. Learning Objectives: Accounting for cash and preparing a bank reconciliation

7. The term cash includesa. coins, currency (paper money), checksb. money orders, and money on deposit that is available for unrestricted withdrawal c. short-term receivablesd. a and b

8. The amount of deposits in transit is included on the bank reconciliation as a(n) a. deduction from the balance per the depositor's booksb. deduction from the balance per bank statementc. addition to the balance per bank statementd. addition to the balance per depositor books

9. Which of the following would be deducted from the balance per books on a bank reconciliation?a. Service chargesb. Outstanding checksc. Deposits in transitd. Notes collected by the bank

4. Learning Objective: Accounting for types of receivables and payables

10. On the balance sheet, the amount shown for the Allowance for Doubtful Accounts is equal to the a. Uncollectible accounts expense for the yearb. total of the accounts receivables written-off during the year c. total estimated uncollectible accounts as of the end of the yeard. sum of all accounts that are past due.

11. Bright Co. holds Park Co.’s $20,000, 120 day, 9% note. The entry made by Bright Co. when the note is collected, assuming no interest has previously been accrued is:a. Cash 20,000

Notes Receivable 20,000b. Accounts Receivable 20,600

Notes Receivable 20,000 Interest Revenue 600

c. Cash 20,600 Notes Receivable 20,000 Interest Revenue 600

d. Accounts Receivable 20,600 Notes Revenue 20,000

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Interest Revenue 600

12. The maturity value of a $40,000, 90-day, 6% note payable is a. $40,600b. $42,400c. $600d. $2,400

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5. Learning Objective: Accounting for routine inventory issues

13. When purchases of merchandise are made for cash, using the perpetual method the transaction may be recorded with the following entrya. debit Cash; credit Merchandise Inventoryb. debit Merchandise Inventory; credit Cashc. debit Merchandise Inventory; credit Cash Discountsd. debit Merchandise Inventory; credit Purchases

14. Which of the following companies would be more likely to use the specific identification inventory costing method?a. Gordon’s Jewelersb. Lowe’sc. Best Buyd. Wal-Mart

15. 1/15,n/30 is interpreted as:a. 1% cash discount if the whole amount is paid within 15 days, the balance is due in 30 days.b. 15% cash discount if the whole amount is paid within 1day, the balance is due in 30 days.c. 30% discount if paid within 15 days. d. 1% discount if paid within 30 days.

6. Learning Objective: Issues related to long term assets including acquisition, use and disposition

16. A new machine with a purchase price of $94,000, with transportation costs of $8,000, installation costs of $6,000, and special acquisition fees of $2,000, would have a cost basis of a. $ 96,000b. $108,000c. $102,000d. $110,000

17. Computer equipment was acquired at the beginning of the year at a cost of $56,000 that has an estimated residual value of $3,000 and an estimated useful life of 5 years. Determine the 2nd year’s depreciation using straight-line depreciation.a. $11,200b. $22,400c. $10,600d. $13,600

18. On December 31, Bonds Baseball Company has decided to sell one of its batting cages. The initial cost of the equipment was $225,000 with an accumulated depreciation of $195,000.

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Depreciation has been taken up to the end of the year. The company found a company that is willing to buy the equipment for $10,000. What is the amount of the gain or loss on this transaction?a. Gain of $10,000b. Loss of $20,000c. No gain or lossd. Cannot be determined

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7. Learning Objective: Payroll accounting issues

19. An employee receives an hourly rate of $25, with time and a half for all hours worked in excess of 40 during a week. Payroll data for the current week are as follows: hours worked, 46; federal income tax withheld, $350; cumulative earnings for the year prior to the current week, $99,700; social security tax rate, 6.0% on a maximum of $100,000; and Medicare tax rate, 1.5% on all earnings. What is the gross pay for the employee?a. $775.00b. $752.50c. $1,225.00d. $1,102.50

20. Which of the following are included in the employer's payroll taxes?a. SUTA taxesb. FUTA taxesc. FICA taxesd. all of the above

21. A pension plan which promises employees a fixed annual pension benefit, based on years of service and compensation, is called a(n) a. defined contribution planb. defined benefit planc. unfunded pland. funded plan

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Appendix B

Course Learning Objective # 1: Elements of the accounting equation and basic facets of double entry accounting

Q#1 Q#2 Q#3 Avg. #Correct

Avg. %Correct

# Correct Answers 101 74 95 90Avg. % Correct by Question 94.4 74 88.8 84.17%

Course Learning Objective # 2: Financial statements and their purpose


Avg. %Correct

# Correct Answers 105 98 101 101.3Avg. % Correct by Question 98.1 91.6 94.4 94.7%

Course Learning Objective # 3: Accounting for cash and preparing a bank reconciliation


Avg. %Correct


Course Learning Objective # 4: Accounting for types of receivables and payables


Avg. %Correct


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Course Learning Objective # 5: Accounting for routine inventory issues


Avg. %Correct


Course Learning Objective # 6: Issues related to long term assets including acquisition, use and disposition


Avg. %Correct

# Correct Answers 83 95 101 93Avg. % Correct by Question 82.2 88.8 94.4 86.9%

Course Learning Objective # 7: Payroll accounting issues


Avg. %Correct


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Section 4.1.2


Learning Objective #4.1a2: Graduates of the BBA program will demonstrate a basic understanding of the common body of knowledge in Managerial Accounting.

Assessment Activity in ACCT 2302:

Data Collection

The Accounting faculty administered a set of questions to the 84 students taking ACCT 2302 in Spring 2009. The questions were embedded on the final exam and related specifically to the seven learning objectives common to all sections of ACCT 2302. These learning objectives are:

1. Understand the nature of the corporate form of organization and the impact of transactions related to shareholders’ equity.

2. Understand how to account for transactions related to issuing and investing in stocks and bonds.

3. Understand the basic techniques used to analyze financial statements (including the statement of cash flows)

4. Understand the differences between financial and managerial accounting.5. Understand the differences between job order and process cost systems, the various types

of manufacturing costs, and the use of standard costs6. Understand the basic elements of the budgeting process.7. Understand the basic techniques used in managerial decision making, such as cost-

volume-profit analysis, differential analysis, and capital investment analysis.


Analysis

The accounting faculty graded the work of their own students and reported the results to Dr. James Owens, the department head responsible for Accounting. Dr. Owens synthesized the results and presented them to the DOCI.


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Students did acceptable work (greater than 70% correct) for every course learning objective. We are in the process of examining the questions where the students did not perform at an acceptable level to determine if they are reasonable for that particular topic or if there is a problem with the manner in which we are presenting a block of material. We will review the material presented in class and the nature of the questions regarding Objective 5 cost systems since it was the single most poor performance area.


We are in the process of reviewing the questions for relevance given that the use of 50 questions for assessment purposes means the final exam is effectively pre-determined regardless of assigned faculty. We are also reviewing the relative amount of time and effort devoted to each block of material considered essential to a proper understanding of Accounting Principles. There is particular concern with reviewing the material for Learning Objective #5 given the results of this outcomes assessment.

Documentation

Faculty members in the Accounting area, together with the Department Head, will interact with the Director of Continuous Improvement and the Dean of the College of Business regarding needed changes both in the focus of the course materials as well as potential curriculum changes. These discussions will take place in sufficient time to make needed changes in course materials before the next long semester.

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Appendix A

1. Learning Objective: Understand the nature of the corporate form of organization and the impact of transactions related to shareholders’ equity.

1. One of the main disadvantages of the corporate form is the a. professional managementb. double taxation of dividendsc. Charterd. corporation must issue stock

2. Stockholders' equity a. is usually equal to cash on handb. includes paid-in capital and liabilitiesc. includes retained earnings and paid-in capitald. is shown on the income statement

3. Hurd Company acquired a building valued at $160,000 for property tax purposes in exchange for 10,000 shares of its $5 par common stock. The stock is widely traded and selling for $15 per share. At what amount should the building be recorded by Hurd Company?

a. $50,000b. $150,000c. $160,000d. $200,000

4. Treasury stock which was purchased for $2,000 is sold for $2,500. As a result of these two transactions combined a. income will be increased by $500b. stockholders' equity will be increased by $2,500c. stockholders' equity will be increased by $500d. stockholders' equity will not change

5. When a corporation completes a 3-for-1 stock split a. the ownership interest of current stockholders is decreasedb. the market price per share of the stock is decreasedc. the par value per share is decreasedd. b and c

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6. The net effect to a corporation of the declaration and payment of a cash dividend is to a. decrease assets and decrease stockholders' equityb. decrease liabilities and decrease stockholders' equityc. increase stockholders' equity and decrease liabilitiesd. increase assets and increase stockholders' equity

7. The Poe Corporation has a simple capital structure. Thaw company has 50,000 shares of common stock outstanding. Net income for the year was $142,000. Poe declared and paid preferred stock dividends of $16,000 during the year. Earnings per share for the year is a. $3.16b. $2.84c. $2.52d. $.32

2. Learning Objective: Understand how to account for transactions related to issuing and investing in stocks and bonds.

8. Able Company owns 15,000 of the 50,000 shares of common stock outstanding of Troy Company and exercises a significant influence over its operating and financial policies. The investment should be accounted for by the a. equity methodb. market methodc. Cost or market methodd. Cost method

9. Financial statements in which financial data for two or more companies are combined as a single entity are called a. conventional statementsb. consolidated statementsc. audited statementsd. constitutional statements

10. When a corporation issues bonds, the price that buyers are willing to pay for the bonds does not depend on which of the following below a. face value of the bondsb. market rate of interest c. periodic interest to be paid on the bondsd. denominations the bonds are sold

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11 One potential advantage of financing corporations through the use of bonds rather than common stock is a. the interest on bonds must be paid when dueb. the corporation must pay the bonds at maturityc. the interest expense is deductible for tax purposes by the corporationd. a higher earnings per share is guaranteed for existing common shareholders

12. Debenture bonds are a. bonds secured by specific assets of the issuing corporationb. bonds that have a single maturity datec. issued only by the federal governmentd. issued on the general credit of the corporation and do not pledge specific assets as

collateral.13. When the market rate of interest on bonds is higher than the contract rate, bonds will sell at a. a premiumb. their face valuec. their maturity valued. a discount

14. If $3,000,000 of 10% bonds are issued at 97, the amount of cash received from the sale is a. $3,300,000b. $3,000,000c. $3,090,000d. $2,910,000

15. The bond indenture may provide that funds for the payment of bonds at maturity be accumulated over the life of the issue. The amounts set aside are kept separate from other assets in a special fund called a(n) a. enterprise fundb. sinking fundc. special assessments fundd. general fund

16. The amortization of premium on bonds purchased as a long-term investment a. decreases the amount of interest expenseb. increases the amount of the investment accountc. decreases the amount of the investment accountd. increases the amount of interest revenue

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3. Understand the basic techniques used to analyze financial statements (including the statement of cash flows)

17. Which of the following should be shown on a statement of cash flows under the financing activity section?a. the purchase of a long-term investment in the common stock of another companyb. the payment of cash to retire a long-term note payable c. the proceeds from the sale of a buildingd. the issuance of a long-term note to acquire land

18. A company purchases equipment for $29,000 cash. This transaction should be shown on the statement of cash flows under a. investing activitiesb. financing activitiesc. noncash investing and financing activitiesd. operating activities

19. The statement of cash flows may be used by management to a. assess the liquidity of the businessb. assess the major policy decisions involving investments and financingc. determine dividend policyd. do all of the above

20. Sales for the year were $600,000. Accounts receivable were $100,000 and $80,000 at the beginning and end of the year. Cash received from customers to be reported on the cash flow statement using the direct method is a. $700,000b. $600,000c. $580,000d. $620,000

21. What type of analysis is indicated by the following?

Increase (Decrease*)2006 2005 Amount Percent

Current assets $380,000 $ 500,000 $120,000* 24%*Fixed assets 1,680,000 1,500,000 180,000 12%

a. vertical analysisb. horizontal analysisc. liquidity analysisd. common-size analysis

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22. An analysis in which all the components of an income statement are expressed as a percentage of net sales is called a. vertical analysisb. horizontal analysisc. liquidity analysisd. common-size analysis

23. The ability of a business to pay its debts as they come due and to earn a reasonable amount of income is referred to as a. solvency and leverageb. solvency and profitabilityc. solvency and liquidityd. solvency and equity

4. Understand the differences between financial and managerial accounting.

24. In order to be useful to managers, management accounting reports should possess all of the following characteristics EXCEPT:a. provide objective measures of past operations and subjective estimates about

future decisionsb. be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principlesc. be provided at any time management needs informationd. be prepared to report information for any unit of the business to support decision

making

25. What is the primary criterion for the preparation of managerial accounting reports?a. Relevance of the reportsb. Meet the manager needsc. Timing of the reportsd. Cost of the reports

26. Which of the following statements is false?a. There is no overlap between financial and managerial accounting.b. Managerial accounting sometimes relies on past information.c. Managerial accounting does not need to conform to GAAPd. Financial accounting must conform to GAAP.

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5. Learning Objective: Understand the differences between job order and process cost systems, the various types of manufacturing costs, and the use of standard costs

27. Which of the following is an example of direct labor cost for an airplane manufacturer?a. Cost of oil lubricants for factory machineryb. Cost of wages of assembly workerc. Salary of plant supervisord. Cost of jet engines

28. Which of the following would most likely use a job order costing system?a. A paper millb. A swimming pool installerc. A company that manufactures chlorine for swimming poolsd. An oil refinery

29. Which of the following is the correct flow of manufacturing costs?a. Raw materials, work in process, finished goods, cost of goods soldb. Raw materials, finished goods, cost of goods sold, work in process.c. Work in process, finished goods, raw materials, cost of goods soldd. Cost of goods sold, raw materials, work in process, finished goods.

30. Which of the following would most likely be a product cost?a. Salary of VP of sales.b. Advertising for a particular product.c. Drill bits for a drill press used in the plant assembly area.d. Salary of the company receptionist.

31. In a process cost system, ending inventory is valued by:a. finding the sum of all open job costsb. allocating departmental costs between completed and partially completed unitsc. multiplying units in ending inventory by the direct materials cost per unitd. all of the above

32. If Department K had 2,000 units, 45% completed, in process at the beginning of the period, 12,000 units were completed during the period, and 1,200 units were 40% completed at the end of the period, what was the number of equivalent units of production for the period if the first-in, first-out method is used to cost inventories?a. 11,580b. 11,280c. 13,680d. 10,000

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33. The standard price and quantity of direct materials are separated because:a. GAAP reporting requires this separationb. direct materials prices are controlled by the purchasing department, and quantity

used is controlled by the production departmentc. standard quantities are more difficult to estimate than standard pricesd. standard prices change more frequently than standard quantities

34. The following data relate to direct materials costs for November:

Actual costs 4,600 pounds at $5.50Standard costs 4,500 pounds at $6.00

What is the direct materials quantity variance?a. $550 unfavorableb. $600 favorablec. $550 favorabled. $600 unfavorable

35. If the actual quantity of direct materials used in producing a commodity differs from the standard quantity, the variance is termed:a. controllable varianceb. price variancec. quantity varianced. rate variance

6. . Learning Objective: Understand the basic elements of the budgeting process.

36. A formal written statement of management's plans for the future, expressed in financial terms, is a:a. gross profit reportb. responsibility reportc. budgetd. performance report

37. McCabe Manufacturing Co.'s static budget at 8,000 units of production includes $40,000 for direct labor and $4,000 for electric power. Total fixed costs are $23,000. At 9,000 units of production, a flexible budget would show:a. variable costs of $49,500 and $25,875 of fixed costsb. variable costs of $44,000 and $23,000 of fixed costsc. variable costs of $49,500 and $23,000 of fixed costsd. variable and fixed costs totaling $75,375

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38. Principal components of a master budget include which of the following?a. Production budgetb. Sales budgetc. Capital expenditures budgetd. All of the above

39. The first budget customarily prepared as part of an entity’s master budget is the:a. production budgetb. cash budgetc. sales budgetd. direct materials purchases

7. Learning Objective: Understand the basic techniques used in managerial decision making, such as cost-volume-profit analysis, differential analysis, and capital investment analysis.

40. Costs that vary in total in direct proportion to changes in an activity level are called:a. fixed costsb. sunk costsc. variable costsd. differential costs

41. A cost that has characteristics of both a variable cost and a fixed cost is called a:a. variable/fixed costb. mixed costc. discretionary costd. sunk cost

42. Contribution margin is:a. the excess of sales revenue over variable costb. another term for volume in the "cost-volume-profit" analysisc. profitd. the same as sales revenue

43. If fixed costs are $250,000, the unit selling price is $105, and the unit variable costs are $65, what is the break-even sales (units)?a. 3,846 unitsb. 2,381 unitsc. 10,000 unitsd. 6,250 units

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44. The amount of increase or decrease in revenue that is expected from a particular course of action as compared with an alternative is termed:a. manufacturing marginb. contribution marginc. differential costd. differential revenue

45. Relevant revenues and costs focus on:a. activities that occurred in the pastb. monies already earned and/or spentc. last year's net incomed. differences between the alternatives being considered

46. Assume that Darrow Co. is considering disposing of equipment that cost $50,000 and has $40,000 of accumulated depreciation to date. Darrow Co. can sell the equipment through a broker for $25,000 less 5% commission. Alternatively, Minton Co. has offered to lease the equipment for five years for a total of $48,750. Darrow will incur repair, insurance, and property tax expenses estimated at $10,000 in total. At lease-end, the equipment is expected to have no residual value. The net differential income from the lease alternative is:a. $15,000b. $ 5,000c. $25,000d. $12,500

47. A practical approach which is frequently used by managers when setting normal long-run prices is the:a. cost-plus approachb. economic theory approachc. price graph approachd. market price approach

48. The process by which management plans, evaluates, and controls long-term investment decisions involving fixed assets is called:a. absorption cost analysisb. variable cost analysisc. capital investment analysisd. cost-volume-profit analysis

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49. Which of the following are present value methods of analyzing capital investment proposals?a. Internal rate of return and average rate of returnb. Average rate of return and net present valuec. Net present value and internal rate of returnd. Net present value and payback

50. An anticipated purchase of equipment for $400,000, with a useful life of 8 years and no residual value, is expected to yield the following annual net incomes and net cash flows:

Year Net Income Net Cash Flow1 $60,000 $110,000 2 50,000 100,0003 50,000 100,0004 40,000 90,0005 40,000 90,0006 40,000 90,0007 40,000 90,0008 40,000 90,000

What is the cash payback period?a. 5 yearsb. 4 yearsc. 6 yearsd. 3 years

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Appendix B

Course Learning Objective # 1: Understand the nature of the corporate form of organization and the impact of transactions related to shareholders’ equity.

Q#1 Q#2 Q#3 Q#4 Q#5 Q#6 Q#7 Avg. # Correct

Avg. % Correct

# Correct 84 79 70 68 77 50 66 71% Correct 98.9 92.9 82.4 79.3 90.6 58.6 78.1 83%

Course Learning Objective # 2: Understand how to account for transactions related to issuing and investing in stocks and bonds.

Q#8 Q#9 Q#10 Q#11 Q#12 Q#13 Q#14 Q#15 Q#16 Avg. # Correct

Avg. % Correct

# Correct

74 82 76 69 73 73 73 77 21 69

% Correct

86.8 96.4 89.6 81 85.7 85.7 85.7 90.6 24.6 80.7%

Course Learning Objective # 3: Understand the basic techniques used to analyze financial statements (including the statement of cash flows)

Q#17 Q#18 Q#19 Q#20 Q#21 Q#22 Q#23 Avg. # Correct

Ave. % Correct

# Correct 41 74 75 71 82 72 84 71%

Correct48.2 86.9 88.1 83.5 96.4 84.4 98.8 83.8%

Course Learning Objective # 4: Understand the differences between financial and managerial accounting.

Q#24 Q#25 Q#26 Avg. # Correct Avg. % Correct# Correct 76 80 79 78% Correct 89.3 93.9 92.8 92.0%

58

Course Learning Objective # 5: Understand the differences between job order and process cost systems, the various types of manufacturing costs, and the use of standard costs

Q#27 Q#28 Q#29 Q#30 Q#31 Q#32 Q#33 Q#34 Q#35 Avg. # Correct

Avg. %

Correct#

Correct82 77 79 72 59 53 22 41 78 62

% Correct

96.4 90.4 93.2 84.7 69.0 61.9 26.0 48.3 92.1 73.6%

Course Learning Objective # 6: Understand the basic elements of the budgeting process.

Q#36 Q#37 Q#38 Q#39 Avg. # Correct Ave. % Correct# Correct 82 58 79 82 72% Correct 96.4 68.3 92.9 96.4 84.9%

Course Learning Objective # 7: Understand the basic techniques used in managerial decision making, such as cost-volume-profit analysis, differential analysis, and capital investment analysis.

Q#40

Q#41

Q#42

Q#43

Q#44

Q#45

Q#46

Q#47

Q#48

Q#49

Q#50

Avg. #

Correct

Avg. %

Correct

# Corre

ct

825 83 75 70 62 66 70 62 72 49 77 70

% Corre

ct

96.4 97.5 88.2 82.2 72.4 77.2 82.4 72.2 84.3 57.1 90.6 81.9%

59


Section 4.1.3


Learning Objective #4.1b1: Graduates of the BBA program will demonstrate a basic understanding of the common body of knowledge in Macroeconomics.


Data Collection

The Economics faculty administered a set of questions to the 90 students taking ECON 2301 in Spring 2009. The questions were embedded on the final exam and related specifically to the six learning objectives common to all sections of ECON 2301. These learning objectives are:

1. Identify the major measures of national economic performance.2. Demonstrate an understanding of the causes of economic growth, business cycles, and

inflation.3. Describe the role of the Federal Reserve System and the commercial banking industry in

determining the supply of money and credit in the economy.4. Understand the impact and potential limitations of monetary policy.5. Understand the impact and potential limitations of fiscal policy.6. Demonstrate an understanding of the financial linkages between countries and the

impact of these linkages on national economic performance and living standards.


Analysis

The economics faculty graded the work of their own students and reported the results to Dr. James Owens, the department head responsible for Economics. Dr. Owens synthesized the results and presented them to the DOCI.



60

Students did acceptable work (greater than 70% correct) for course learning objectives 1, 3, and 5. Objectives 2 and 6 were reasonably close to acceptable levels except for very poor performance on one question in each of those two areas. The only area where the results were uniformly below acceptable levels was in course objective 4 which relates to monetary policy. We have looked at the questions for this objective and consider them to be reasonable for that particular topic so the problem lies either with the prior preparation of the students before entering the course or the manner in which we are presenting this block of material. Talking with faculty involved in this course results in an observation that this is a more quantitative portion of the course and many of the students are in their first year at the University and may not have developed the levels of mathematical acumen required to properly address economical models.


We are in the process of reviewing the questions for relevance given that in some cases, allegedly easier questions had lower scores than those questions purported to be more difficult. We are also reviewing the relative amount of time and effort devoted to each block of material considered essential to a proper understanding of Macroeconomics.

Documentation

Faculty members in the Economics area, together with the Department Head, will interact with the Director of Continuous Improvement and the Dean of the College of Business regarding needed changes both in the focus of the course materials as well as potential curriculum changes that would require students to have completed certain other courses prior to enrollment in Principles of Macroeconomics.

61

Appendix A

Learning Objective #1: Measuring the Economy:

1. Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total market value of alla. final goods and services produced annually within a country's borders.b. final and intermediate goods and services produced annually within a country's

borders.c. intermediate goods and services produced annually within a country's borders.d. final goods and services produced every month within a country's borders.

2 If a person is waiting to be called back to a job from which she has been laid off, how is she classified?a. as not in the labor forceb. as an unemployed personc. as an employed persond. none of the above

3. Is it possible for the economy to be at full employment and still have some people who are unemployed?a. No, full employment means that no one is unemployed.b. Yes, since full employment exists if the economy is operating at the natural

unemployment rate and there is always some natural unemployment.c. Yes, since full employment exists if the economy is operating at the frictional

unemployment rate and there is always some frictional unemployment.d. Yes, since full employment equals the sum of the cyclical unemployment rate and

the natural unemployment rate, and there is always some cyclical unemployment.e. none of the above

Learning Objective #2: Productivity and Growth

4. One measure of the inflation rate is thea. sum of the CPIs of subsequent years.b. percentage change in the CPI of subsequent years.c. percentage change in the Real GDP of subsequent years.d. GDP minus the Real GDP in a year.

5. Technological advances make it possible toa. produce goods without using any resources.b. obtain the same output by using more resources.c. obtain the same output by using fewer resources.d. lower labor productivity.

62

6. In the business cycle, what is the difference between the recovery phase and the expansion phase?a. The expansion phase occurs in the rising portion of the business cycle, while the

recovery phase occurs in the falling portion of the business cycle.b. The expansion phase occurs in the falling portion of the business cycle, while the

recovery phase occurs in the rising portion of the business cycle.c. The expansion phase is the period when Real GDP increases beyond the recovery

phase.d. The expansion phase must always precede the recovery phase.

Learning Objective #3: Role of Government

7. The Federal Reserve System is thea. federal government agency that collects taxes and spends these receipts on tanks,

bridges, employees' salaries, etc.b. company that delivers packages to your front door.c. Central bank of the United States.d. federal government agency that collects and disseminates all the economic data

that economists are interested in.

8. Which of the following statements is false?a. The Fed serves as the lender of last resort.b. The Fed serves as a fiscal agent for the U.S. Treasury.c. A major responsibility of the Fed is to control the nation's money supply.d. The federal government is the Fed's banker.

9. Here is how an open market purchase works: The Fed __________ government securities to (from) a commercial bank, which raises the bank's deposits at the __________ and increases the bank's __________.a. sells; Fed; reservesb. buys; Fed; reservesc. buys; Treasury; discount loansd. sells; Treasury; required reserve ratioe. buys; Fed; liabilities

63

Learning Objective #4: Monetary Policy

10. The quantity of money supplied is assumed (in the textbook) to bea. inversely related to the interest rate.b. directly related to the interest rate.c. independent of the interest rate.d. Largely determined by the Fed.e. c and d

11. According to Milton Friedman, continued inflation is always and everywherea. a supply-side phenomenon.b. Caused by continued decreases in aggregate supply.c. Caused by continued increases in the budget deficit.d. Caused by rapid increases in the money supply.e. none of the above

12. When the Fed conducts open market operations, the impact of the buying or selling of bonds will include changes ina. SRAS.b. interest rates.c. LRAS.d. A and be. A, b and c

Learning Objective #5: Fiscal Policy

13. Fiscal policy isa. the money supply policy that the Fed pursues to achieve particular economic goals.b. the spending and tax policy that the government pursues to achieve particular

macroeconomic goals.c. the investment policy that businesses pursue to achieve particular macroeconomic

goals.d. the spending and saving policy that consumers pursue to achieve particular

macroeconomic goals.e. none of the above

14. Fiscal policy is implemented primarily bya. local governments alone.b. the defense department.c. state governments alone.d. the federal government.e. state and local governments.

64

15. Assume that there is zero crowding out and the federal budget is balanced at the time government purchases are increased. It follows that the __________ curve shifts to the __________, and in the short run both the price level and Real GDP __________.a. AD; left; riseb. AD; right; fallc. AD; right; rised. SRAS; right; risee. AD; left; fall

Learning Objective #6: International Trade and Finance

16. International trade exists because countriesa. can make themselves better off through trade.b. want to be neighborly with each other.c. want to be political allies.d. want to improve diplomatic relations with each other.e. want to avoid war with each other.

17. Globalization a. is the growing integration of the national economies of the world to such an extent

that a single worldwide economy may be emerging.b. is any type of foreign trade.c. is specifically foreign trade between countries that have entered into a formal free

trade agreement.d. will necessarily lead to higher unemployment rates in the United States.

18. Suppose that a tariff is imposed on imported cheese. This will have the effect of __________ the quantity consumed of cheese, __________ consumers' surplus, and __________ the government's tariff revenues.a. increasing; increasing; increasingb. decreasing; decreasing; increasingc. increasing; decreasing; decreasingd. decreasing; increasing; increasinge. decreasing; increasing; decreasing

65

Appendix B

Course Learning Objective # 1: Measuring the Economy


Avg. %Correct


Course Learning Objective # 2: Productivity and Growth


Avg. %Correct


Course Learning Objective # 3: Role of Government


Avg. %Correct


Course Learning Objective # 4: Monetary Policy


Avg. %Correct


Course Learning Objective # 5: Fiscal Policy


Avg. %Correct


66

Course Learning Objective # 6: International Trade and Finance


Avg. %Correct


67


Section 4.1.4


Learning Objective #4.1b2: Graduates of the BBA program will demonstrate a basic understanding of the common body of knowledge in Microeconomics.


Data Collection

The Economics faculty administered a set of questions to the 145 students taking ECON 2302 in Spring 2009. The questions were embedded on the final exam and related specifically to the six learning objectives common to all sections of ECON 2302. These learning objectives are:

Students will develop and demonstrate knowledge of the following areas:

1. Identify the concepts of scarcity and opportunity cost as they relate to economics and business.

2. Identify the determinants of supply and demand and apply the supply and demand model to illustrate changes in prices and output.

3. Define and apply price elasticity of demand and supply.4. Identify the behavior of the firm as it relates to production, price, cost, and profit with

respect to alternative market structures.5. Demonstrate the welfare effects of alternative market structures.6. Describe how the concepts of comparative advantage and specialization lead to gains

from trade.


Analysis

The finance faculty graded the work of their own students and reported the results to Dr. James Owens, the department head responsible for Economics. Dr. Owens synthesized the results and presented them to the DOCI.


68


Students did acceptable work (greater than 70% correct) for course learning objectives 1, 2, 3, and 6. Objectives 4 and 5 which are “Costs of Production” and “Forms of Competition” had results which were below acceptable levels. We have looked at the questions for these objectives and consider them to be reasonable for that particular topic so the problem lies either with the prior preparation of the students before entering the course or the manner in which we are presenting this block of material. Talking with faculty involved in this course results in an observation that Objective 4 is a more quantitative portion of the course and many of the students are in their first year at the University and may not have developed the levels of mathematical acumen required to properly address economical models. We will review the material presented in class and the nature of the questions regarding Objective 5 since forms of competition should be well understood by virtually anyone functioning in our economy.


We are in the process of reviewing the questions for relevance given that in some cases, allegedly easier questions had lower scores than those questions purported to be more difficult. We are also reviewing the relative amount of time and effort devoted to each block of material considered essential to a proper understanding of Microeconoimcs.

Documentation

Faculty members in the Economics area, together with the Department Head, will interact with the Director of Continuous Improvement and the Dean of the College of Business regarding needed changes both in the focus of the course materials as well as potential curriculum changes that would require students to have completed certain other courses prior to enrollment in Principles of Microeconomics.

69

Appendix A

Learning Objective #1: Scarcity, Trade-offs and Opportunity Cost:

1. When economists speak of scarcity, they are referring to thea. condition in which society is not employing all its resources in an efficient way.b. condition in which people's wants outstrip the limited resources available to satisfy

those wants.c. economic condition that exists in only very poor countries of the world.d. condition in which society produces too many frivolous goods and not enough

socially desirable goods.

2. Consider two points on the PPF: point A, at which there are 10 apples and 20 pears, and point B, at which there are 7 apples and 21 pears. If the economy is currently at point A, the opportunity cost of moving to point B isa. 1 pear.b. 7 apples.c. 3 apples.d. 21 pears.

3. According to economists, why does a highly talented young person, such as basketball player LeBron James, often choose not to attend college?a. The opportunity cost of attending college would be very high for such a person

because he has the opportunity to earn a very high salary in his field of expertise.b. The costs of attending college are likely to exceed the benefits for such a talented

person, so he decides not to attend college.c. The benefits of attending college are unlikely to exceed the costs for such a

talented person so he is making an irrational decision.d. a and b

Learning Objective #2: Supply and Demand

4. The law of demand states that price and quantity demanded area. directly related, ceteris paribus.b. inversely related, ceteris paribus.c. independent.d. positively related, ceteris paribus.

70

Figure 1

5. Refer to Figure 1. A movement from point V to point W could not have been the result of

a. a price increase.b. an increase in buyers’ income (assuming that this is an inferior good).c. an increase in the price of a complement to this good.d. a decrease in the number of buyers.e. a decrease in buyers’ income (assuming that this is a normal good).

6. If a supply curve shifts rightward, this meansa. suppliers are willing and able to offer less of the good for sale at every price.b. suppliers are willing and able to offer more of the good for sale at every price.c. quantity supplied is greater at every price.d. suppliers are willing and able to offer more of the good for sale only at a particular

price.e. b and c

Learning Objective #3: Elasticity

7. Price elasticity of demand is a measure of the responsiveness of quantity demanded to changes ina. interest rates.b. price.c. supply.d. demand.

71

DD

Pric

e (d

olla

rs)

Z

W

V

12

Quantity

1

2

3

4

5

6

8. Price elasticity of supply measures the responsiveness of ____ to changes in ____.a. quantity supplied; incomeb. quantity supplied; pricec. quantity supplied; quantity demandedd. income; quantity demandede. none of the above

9. Suppose a producer decides that if the price of his or her product is $10, the quantity supplied will be 1,000 units, and if the price is $11, the quantity supplied will be 1,200. The supply of the good isa. elastic.b. inelastic.c. perfectly elastic.d. unit elastic.e. perfectly inelastic.

Learning Objective #4: Costs of Production

10. Economies of scale refer toa. the minimum point on the short-run average total cost curve.b. the flat portion of the long-run average total cost curve.c. a decrease in the long-run average total cost of production as output increases.d. a and be. none of the above

11. A fixed input is an input whose quantitya. can be changed as output changes in the short run.b. cannot be changed as output changes in the short run.c. cannot be changed as output changes in the long run.d. a and ce. b and c

12. You paid $25 for your ticket to the football game, only to see your favorite team losing 28-0 at the end of the first quarter. That $25 should now be regarded as a(n) ____ cost that should be ____ in your decision on whether or not to stay at the game.a. explicit; includedb. explicit; disregardedc. sunk; includedd. sunk; disregarded

72

Learning Objective #5: Forms of Competition

13. In the theory of perfect competition, the assumption of easy entry into and exit from the market impliesa. positive economic profits in the long run.b. losses in the long-run equilibrium.c. zero economic profits in the long run.d. zero economic profits in both the short run and the long run.e. positive economic profits in both the short run and the long run.

14. In a monopolistic market structure, if price is above average total cost, the monopolist isa. earning an economic profit.b. taking an economic loss.c. minimizing total fixed costs.d. minimizing total variable costs.

15. One difference between a perfectly competitive firm and a monopoly firm isa. a perfectly competitive firm maximizes profit by producing the quantity of output

at which MR = MC, and the monopoly firm does not.b. a monopoly firm is resource allocative efficient, and a perfectly competitive firm is

not.c. the monopoly firm charges the highest per-unit price for its product, and the

perfectly competitive firm does not.d. the demand curve and the marginal revenue curve are the same for the perfectly

competitive firm, but they are not the same for the monopoly firm.e. c and d

Learning Objective #6: International Trade and Finance

16. International trade exists because countriesa. can make themselves better off through trade.b. want to be neighborly with each other.c. want to be political allies.d. want to improve diplomatic relations with each other.e. want to avoid war with each other.

73

17. One country has a comparative advantage over another country in the production of a good if ita. has a curved production possibilities curve and the other country has a linear

production possibilities curve.b. has a linear production possibilities curve and the other country has a curved

production possibilities curve.c. is a lower opportunity cost producer of the good.d. has lower fixed costs than the other country.

Figure 2

18. Refer to Figure 2. If the student whose study habits are illustrated here is currently studying for 8 hours she should

a. cut back on the number of hours she is studying because the marginal benefit of studying for 8 hours is less than the marginal cost of doing so.

b. cut back on the number of hours she is studying because the marginal benefit of studying for 8 hours is greater than the marginal cost of doing so.

c. increase the number of hours she is studying because the marginal benefit of studying for 8 hours is less than the marginal cost of doing so.

d. increase the number of hours she is studying because the marginal benefit of studying for 8 hours is greater than the marginal cost of doing so.

74

Mar

gina

l Ben

efit,

Mar

gina

l Cos

t

Time Spent Studying (hours)

MC

MB

2 4 6 8

Appendix B

Course Learning Objective # 1: Scarcity, Trade-offs and Opportunity Cost


Avg. %Correct


Course Learning Objective # 2: Supply and Demand


Avg. %Correct


Course Learning Objective # 3: Elasticity


Avg. %Correct


Course Learning Objective # 4: Costs of Production


Avg. %Correct


Course Learning Objective # 5: Forms of Competition


Avg. %Correct


75

Course Learning Objective # 6: International Trade and Finance


Avg. %Correct


76


Section 4.1.5


Learning Objective #4.1c: Graduates of the BBA program will demonstrate a basic understanding of the common body of knowledge in finance.

Assessment Activity in Finance 3320:

Data Collection

The Finance faculty administered a set of questions to the 91 students taking FIN 3320 in Spring 2009. The questions were embedded on the final exam and related specifically to the eight learning objectives common to all sections of FIN 3320. These learning objectives are:

Students will develop and demonstrate knowledge of the following areas:

1. Financial markets and efficiency 2. Financial statement analysis 3. Time value of money 4. Stocks and bonds 5. Risk, return and diversification6. Capital budgeting and the cost of capital7. Capital structure of a firm8. Multinational financial management


Analysis

The finance faculty graded the work of their own students and reported the results to Dr. James Owens, the department head responsible for Finance. Dr. Owens synthesized the results and presented them to the DOCI.



77

Students did acceptable work (greater than 70% correct) for course learning objectives 1, 3, and 5. The remaining objectives did not achieve acceptable status although they are all approximately 5% from being such. We are looking at the questions for all of the objectives and considering whether they are reasonable for that particular topic. Our primary concerns are if the problem lies with the prior preparation of the students before entering the course or the manner in which we are presenting the material. Talking with faculty involved in this course resulted in a policy change that we no longer permit students to take this course concurrent with their enrollment in the second Accounting Principles course. The ACCT 2302 course has always been a prerequisite but we have been generous in permitting students to take the two courses simultaneously if they had done well in ACCT 2301. It has been observed that they are simply not prepared for the study of business finance without successful completion of both Accounting courses prior to enrollment.


We are in the process of reviewing the questions for relevance given that in some cases, allegedly easier questions had lower scores than those questions purported to be more difficult. We are also reviewing the relative amount of time and effort devoted to each block of material considered essential to a proper understanding of Business Finance.

Documentation

Faculty members in the Finance area, together with the Department Head, will interact with the Director of Continuous Improvement and the Dean of the College of Business regarding needed changes both in the focus of the course materials as well as potential curriculum changes that would require students to have completed certain other courses prior to enrollment in the Business Finance course.

78

Appendix A

Learning Objective #1: Financial markets and efficiency

1. If ExxonMobil were to sell a new issue of common stock at the NYSE stock exchange to raise new capital, this would be classified as _______a. a secondary market transaction.b. a private market transaction. c. a money market transaction.d. a primary market transaction.

2. If you believe in the efficient market hypothesis, you should also believe that ____a. technical analysis is helpful in picking stocks.b. investors can predict future stock prices by looking at stock prices in the past.c. it is very difficult for anyone to constantly pick stocks that will “beat the market”.d. investors may be better off investing in an actively managed fund instead of a passively

managed fund such as the S&P 500.

3. The inflation in Country JBK is expected to increase 4%. Assuming other things being equal, Country JBK’s interest rates will ______________ a. increase.b. decrease.c. stay the same.d. more information is needed to answer this question.

Learning Objective #2: Financial statement analysis

4. Cash flow is net income plusa. interest.b. taxes.c. new debt.d. depreciation.

5. Which statement is not true?a. High inventory turnover shows better inventory management than low inventory

turnover.b. If a firm has a lower DSO (days sales outstanding), it manages receivables more

efficiently than one with a higher DSO.c. If two firms have the exact same ROA (return on assets), the one with the higher debt

ratio will have the higher ROE (return on equity).d. The higher the current ratio, the less liquid the firm is assumed to be.

79

6. JBK Corp. has a debt to assets ratio of 60%, long-term liabilities of $40,000, and total assets of $100,000. What is the level of JBK’s current liabilities?a. $20,000b. $40,000c. $50,000d. $60,000

Learning Objective #3: Time value of money

7. Which would you rather receive if interest rates are 10%?a. $100 todayb. $109 next yearc. Either choice is acceptable

8. Suppose two alternative investments promise cash flow streams that possess equal lives. Further, suppose the simple sum of the cash flows for each investment is the same amount. Given a positive interest rate, which investment has the smallest present value?a. an investment which generates most cash flows at the beginning of its life.b. an investment which generates most cash flows at the end of its life.c. an investment that is being discounted by a small discount rate.d. there is no reliable relationship between the distribution of cash flows and present value.e. an investment which generates equal cash flows each period.

9. You know that you will need $25,000 at the end of 5 years. How much would you have to deposit annually, starting at the end of first year, into an account earning 10% in order to accumulate the needed amount?a. $4,095b. $5,000c. $5,050d. $4,500

Learning Objective #4: Stocks and bonds

10. General Electric’s semiannual bonds are rated AA. The bonds have a coupon rate of 6%, a maturity of 20 years and a par value of $1000. At market interest rates above 6%, the bonds will sell fora. $1000b. more than $1000c. less than $1000

80

11. Investors value Caterpillar using the constant growth model. Caterpillar currently retains 40% of its earnings. If Caterpillar increases its retention ratio, its growth rate will _____ and its stock price will _____. a. decrease; decreaseb. increase; decreasec. decrease; increased. increase; increase

12. What is the expected price of Disney’s stock if Disney is expected to pay a dividend of $2.00, has a growth rate of 10% and a required return of 15%?a. $40.00b. $30c. $20d. $13.33

Learning Objective #5: Risk, return and diversification

13. Which of the following risks is systematic and cannot be diversified away?a. the risk created by changing interest rates in the market placeb. the risk created by addition of debt to a company’s debt structurec. the risk created by a product recall of a company’s major productd. the risk created by the untimely death of a company’s CEO

14. Which statement is not true?a. A stock with a beta of .8 increases less than the market when the market rises.b. A beta of 1.45 shows the stock has more risk than the market as a whole.c. The beta of the market is 1.0.d. As the number of assets in a portfolio increases, the risk of the portfolio increases.

15.Historical records kept since 1926 show that _____ have the highest rate of return and _____ have the highest level of risk.

a. bonds, bondsb. bonds, stocksc. stocks, bondsd. stocks, stocks

Learning Objective #6: Capital budgeting and the cost of capital

16. A firm is considering two projects of which it can only choose one. Project A has a net present value (NPV) of $1.7 million and an internal rate of return (IRR) of 15%. Project B has a net present value (NPV) of $1.9 million and an internal rate of return (IRR) of 14%. Which project should the firm choose?a. Project Ab. Project Bc. Neither Project A or Project B should be chosen

81

17. If the tax rate increases, the cost of debt will ____ and the cost of preferred stock will _____.a. increase; increaseb. increase; be unchangedc. decrease; be unchangedd. decrease; decrease

18. Which of the following would increase the annual cash flows of a project?a. decrease in sales of the old model after the new model is releasedb. decrease in inventories needed for the new modelc. increase in total sales after the new model is releasedd. increase in utilities needed for the new model

Learning Objective #7: Capital structure of a firm

19. Which of these sources of capital benefits most from the U.S. tax code?a. debtb. preferred stockc. common stock

20. From the information below, select the optimal capital structure for Sports Enterprises:a. debt=40%; equity=60%; EPS=$2.95; stock price=$26.50b. debt=50%; equity=50%; EPS=$3.05; stock price=$28.90c. debt=80%; equity=20%; EPS=$3.42; stock price=$30.40d. debt=60%; equity=40%; EPS=$3.18; stock price=$31.20

21. ABC Corp. has $200,000 of fixed costs. The average selling price of its product is $40, and each product has $20 of variable costs, so the breakeven point is 10,000 units. What will happen to the breakeven point if fixed costs increase?a. Breakeven will decrease.b. Breakeven will increase.c. Breakeven will stay the same.d. There is no way to anticipate what the change will be.

Learning Objective #8: Multinational financial management

22. Which is the least likely reason for an American company to maintain operations overseas?a. Labor costs may be lower in another country.b. The international market presents attractive sales and profit opportunities.c. To retain customers who expect to access their services anywhere worldwide.d. The exchange rate is advantageous.

82

23. An investor is examining exchange rates in London and New York. For simplicity, all rates are quoted versus the U.S. dollar. In New York: the euro rate is $1.25 and the Yen rate is 110 Yen. In London: the euro rate is $1.20 and the Yen rate is 105 Yen. If you were looking to buy Yen, where would you buy it?a. Londonb. New Yorkc. Either New York or London

24. A business has Mexican pesos that need to be changed into U.S. dollars. The exchange rate is .0986 dollars per peso. How many pesos is that per dollar?a. .9860b. 1.0141c. 9.8600d. 10.1420

83

Appendix B

Course Learning Objective # 1: Financial markets and efficiency


Avg. %Correct


Course Learning Objective # 2: Financial statement analysis


Avg. %Correct


Course Learning Objective # 3: Time value of money


Avg. %Correct


Course Learning Objective # 4: Stocks and bonds


Avg. %Correct


Course Learning Objective # 5: Risk, return and diversification


Avg. %Correct


84

Course Learning Objective # 6: Capital budgeting and the cost of capital


Avg. %Correct


Course Learning Objective # 7: Capital structure of a firm


Avg. %Correct


Course Learning Objective # 8: Multinational financial management


Avg. %Correct


85

SECTION 4.2BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING GOAL FOUR INFORMATION AND DECISION MANAGEMENT

Section 4.2.1


Learning Objective #4.1d: Graduates of the BBA program will demonstrate a basic understanding of the common body of knowledge in Quantitative Business Analysis.


Data Collection

The Information Decision Management faculty administered a set of questions to the 92 students taking IDM 2342 in Spring 2009. The questions were embedded on the final exam and related specifically to the five learning objectives common to all sections of IDM 2342. Also throughout the semester, students were assigned homework set to assess their competency in the five learning objectives common to all sections of IDM 2342. These learning objectives are:

1. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the following:(a) descriptive statistics (mean, median, mode, range, percentiles, standard deviation),(b) binomial distribution (c) normal distribution(d) uniform distribution. (Goal 1)

2. Students will gain an comprehensive understanding of (a) central limit properties (b) usage of distribution tables, (c) interval estimates, and (d) hypothesis testing for one or more population means and proportions. (Goal 1)

3. Students will be able to determine the appropriate hypotheses, perform the test, and interpret the results for (a) interval estimates and hypothesis testing for sample means and proportions, (b) analysis of variance, (c) regression analysis, and (d) time series applications.(as time allows) (Goal 1 and 2)

4. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the usage of spreadsheets (a) for usage of the various statistical functions, (b) to construct frequency and scatter graphs,

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(c) to build descriptive statistics tables for data sets, (d) to build statistical models that are used in analysis of variance, (e) to build statistical models that are used in regression analysis, and (f) to build statistical models that are used in time series applications. (Goal 2)

5. Students will acquire critical thinking skills through statistical problem solving. (Goal 2)


Analysis

During the summer and fall semesters of 2007, the department faculty (content expert) have developed several learning objectives for IDM 2342. The process of assessing students’ attainment of each learning objective is accomplished through embedded questions in exams and homework assignments. The faculty identified several measures, the level of performance (70%) to assess each learning objective, and the overall students learning. The measures that were employed to assess learning included, exam questions and homework assignments (both knowledge and performance types). Exam questions, homework assignments, and the project were mapped to the specific learning objectives.

There were 92 students who completed IDM 2342 course and enrolled in three sections of IDM 2342. There were five main learning objectives identified to measure students’ learning in IDM 2342. Exam questions and homework assignments were mapped to the specific learning objectives. Embedded questions on the final examination and homework work assignments were used as a means to assess each learning objective. The assessment was performed by the faculty who were assigned to each section. One faculty member taught two sections and the other faculty member taught one section. The assessment effort for IDM 2342 was fragmented and not coordinated in terms of data collocation, measurement and analysis. However, important lessons were learned from the overall results.

Item analysis for each question and homework assignment was not performed for each question or section which made it more challenging to reach a determination on the attainment of each learning objective (item analysis was done on two sections only). However, in all cases seventy percent of the responses to embedded questions and assignment are deemed to have attained the learning objectives. The data indicates that students in IDM 2342 gained adequate knowledge of the course content evident by the average score of learning objectives, one, three, and four of two sections. The low score on Learning Objective #2 indicates that faculty need to spend more time in developing tutorials and identifying other measures (pop quizzes, homework assignment, lab session) to enforce the learning experiences. There were a much higher percentage of students who dropped the course without ever meeting or talking with instructors than in the past. This leads to two important recommendations: 1) provide a written notification after the third week test to at risk students, and 2) provide more tutoring sessions for all students. While the assessment effort could have been done better, a more effective plan needs to be implemented to avoid some of the mishaps. The department would put in place a new approach to assess IDM

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2342 for Fall 2009 that would be more cohesive, reliable, and unify the assessment cycle for IDM 2342.


Documentation

Faculty members, who are responsible for the IDM 2342 course, together with the Department Head, will interact with the Director of Continuous Improvement and the Dean of the College of Business regarding needed changes both in the focus of the course materials as well as potential curriculum changes. Appendices are included in this section. In addition, data used in the above analysis is included as an attachment in Excel format. The appendices also include minutes of department or curriculum committee meetings detailing the activities in this process and the steps taken for continuous improvement for each Learning Goal.

Appendix B

Item Data and item analysis of each learning objective

Table 1Learning Objectives

Avg. #Correct Avg. %Correct

LO-1 50 74.6LO-2 54 80.5LO-3 54 79.9LO-4 67 100LO-5 53 79%

Table 2Learning Objective # _1_

# Correct Answers (67 students)

% Correct Answers

Q1-5 52 77.7%Q1-6 47 70%Avg. #Correct 49.5% -Avg. %Correct - 73.8%

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% Correct Answers

Q2-1 57 85%Q2-3 55 82%Q2-4 51 76%Avg. #Correct 54Avg. %Correct 81.1%



% Correct Answers

Q3-11 53 79%Q3-10 54 80.5%Avg. #Correct 55Avg. %Correct 82%



% Correct Answers

Q5-1 (Homework Assignments)

67 100%

Avg. #Correct 67Avg. %Correct 100%



% Correct Answers

Q5-1 (Homework and final Exam

53 79%

Avg. #Correct 53Avg. %Correct 79%

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SECTION 4.2BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING GOAL FOUR INFORMATION AND DECISION MANAGEMENT

Section 4.2.2


Learning Objective #4.1e: Graduates of the BBA program will demonstrate a basic understanding of the common body of knowledge in Information Systems.


Data Collection

The faculty administered a set of questions to the 72 students taking IDM 3330 in Spring 2009. The questions were embedded on the final exam and related specifically to the seven learning objectives common to all sections of IDM 3330. These learning objectives are:

1. Students will have the opportunity to explore the many challenges facing MIS managers today and how these challenges are effectively identified, understood, and resolved. (COB Goal 4.1e)

2. Students will gain an understanding of organizational information systems architectures, information management, and knowledge of management frameworks. (COB Goal 4.1e)

3. Students will gain appreciation for the ethical and social issues related to information systems. (COB Goal 4.1e and COB Goal 3.1)

4. Students will develop basic business analysis skills using personal productivity and business software tools. (COB Goal 4.1e and COB Goal 2.1)

5. Students will gain an understanding of emerging trends and standards as they apply to information systems and technologies. (COB Goal 4.1e)

6. Students will gain collaboration, teamwork, communication, presentation and writing skills through a team project. (COB Goal 4.1e and COB Goal 1.3)


Analysis

The IDM faculty graded the work of their own students and reported the results to Dr. Amjad Abdullat, the department head responsible for Information and Decision Management. Dr. Abdullat synthesized the results and presented them to the DOCI.

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In the previous subsection, three shortcomings in the delivery of IDM 3330 were identified. Here, we identify actionable steps to mitigate their impact in the future.

A. Critical Thinking (COB Goal 2.1): A number of students failed to turn in homework assignments 3 and 4. In the fall of 2008, the number of students turning in these assignments was less than in fall of 2009. The improvement is likely due to a change in the syllabus in which the impact that these assignments have on students’ final grade is increased. To further encourage completion of assignments, future instructors should further adjust the weight of these assignments on the students’ final grades.

B. Critical Thinking (COB Goal 2.1): While the syllabus for the course said in two places that students should make themselves familiar with the academic integrity code and clearly outlined expectations related to collaboration, unauthorized collaboration was still a major issue this semester. The instructor took the appropriate steps to deal with violations of the academic integrity code as he discovered them (adjusting grades and filing paperwork with the Vice President of Academic Affairs); however, it seems clear further attention to the issue should be made early in and throughout the semester. The following suggestions may help reduce intentions among students to engage in unauthorized collaboration.

a. Implement a zero-tolerance policy for violations of the academic integrity code. Outline clearly in the syllabus that any confirmed case of unauthorized collaboration on any assignment or exam will result in a letter grade of F for the course, regardless of previous performance.

b. Take further measures to make students aware of the policy early in the semester. Present each student with a copy of the academic integrity code, and a copy of the instructor’s specific policy. Ask the students to sign a document indicating that they understand the policy. Even if the instructor does not choose to implement a zero tolerance policy, s/he should have some policy that is clear and stressed early in the semester.

c. Remind students throughout the semester about the instructor’s collaboration policy. On each homework assignment, add a brief recap of policy, and give an oral recap immediately before each exam.

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d. Inform students that after the class is over, sharing their work with other students for the purpose of cheating is still a violation of the academic integrity code, which could result in their expulsion from the University.

e. Faculty should make themselves familiar with the academic integrity code and all university, college and department policies and procedures related to the enforcement of the academic integrity code.

f. Document every violation, even if it seems minor, and take appropriate action in dealing with each instance.

C. There were four items on which students did not perform well. Each item is part of a topic, and students did well on other items that related to the same topic (for example, they had difficulty distinguishing between intellectual property and copyright, but were able to distinguish between copyright and trademark), indicating that each area was adequately covered. Since the items were taken from a test bank, and may not be the same ones used next semester, teaching toward specific questions is not recommended. However, future instructors should ensure that they devote adequate attention to the following topics: Joint Application Development, the relationship between laws and ethics, protections for intellectual property and mobile commerce (as opposed to electronic commerce).

In conclusion, this semester IDM 3330 was largely successful, students demonstrated an effective grasp of core MIS business knowledge, ethics and critical thinking skills. However, areas in need of improvement are identified, and the preceding guidelines should make the course even more effective in accomplishing its objectives, and thus supporting the college in producing successful and productive graduates.

Documentation

Departmental faculty members will interact with the Director of Continuous Improvement and the Dean of the College of Business regarding needed changes both in the focus of the course materials as well as potential curriculum changes. In addition, data used in the above analysis is included as an attachment in Excel format. Attach to this report the pertinent part of minutes of department or curriculum committee meetings detailing the activities in this process and the steps taken for continuous improvement for each Learning Goal.

Appendix 1: Item Data and item analysis of each learning objectivesAppendix 2: Mapping learning objectives, assessment measures and itemsAppendix 3: Homework Assignments 1, 2, 3 and 4.Appendix 4: IDM3330 Group Project AssessmentAppendix 5: Departmental Assessment Procedures. Appendix 6: Minutes from the March 13, 2009 department meeting Appendix 7: List of embedded question for each learning objective

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Appendix 1

Item Data and item analysis of each learning objectives

Table 1SUMMARY RESULTS

Avg. #Correct Avg. %CorrectFocus Area 1 (COB Goal 4.1e) 65 90.3Focus Area 2 (COB Goal 4.1e) 61 84.7Focus Area 3 (COB Goals 4.1e and 3.1) 55.9 78.3Focus Area 4 (COB Goal 4.1e and 2.1) 56.5 77.6Focus Area 5 (COB Goal 4.1e) 57.5 84.7Focus Area 6 (COB Goal 4.1e and 1.3) 67 93.1

TOTAL FOR COB GOAL 1.3 67 93.1TOTAL FOR COB GOAL 2.1 56.5 77.6TOTAL FOR COB GOAL 3.1 55.9 78.3TOTAL FOR COB GOAL 4.1e 60.5 84.0

Table 2Focus Area 1 (COB Goal 4.1e)


% Correct Answers

Q1-1 70 97.2Q1-2 59 81.9Q1-3 53 73.6Q1-4 67 93.1Q1-5 71 98.6Q1-6 63 87.5Q1-7 65 90.3Q1-8 69 95.8Q1-9 54 75.0Q1-10 69 95.8Q1-11 64 88.9Q1-12 69 95.8Q1-13 70 97.2Q1-14 67 93.1Avg. #Correct 65 -Avg. %Correct - 90.3

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% Correct Answers

Q2-1 68 94.4Q2-2 65 90.3Q2-3 58 80.6Q2-4 37 51.4Q2-5 58 80.6Q2-6 57 79.2Q2-7 70 97.2Q2-8 64 88.9Q2-9 69 95.8Q2-10 67 93.1Q2-11 65 90.3Q2-12 62 86.1Q2-13 44 61.1Q2-14 70 97.2Avg. #Correct 61 -Avg. %Correct - 84.7

Table 4Focus Area 3 (COB Goals 4.1e and 3.1)


% Correct Answers

Q3-1 62 86.1Q3-2 49 68.1Q3-3 61 84.7Q3-4 43 59.7Q3-5 52 72.2Q3-6 16 22.2Q3-7 61 84.7Q3-8 68 94.4Q3-9 61 84.7Q3-10 72 100Q3-11 46 63.9Q3-12 63 87.5Q3-13 56 77.8Q3-14 72 100Avg. #Correct 55.9 -Avg. %Correct - 77.6

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Table 5Focus Area 4 (COB Goals 4.1e and 2.1)


% Correct Answers

Q4-1 59 81.9Q4-2 62 86.1Q4-3 50 69.4Q4-4 55 76.4Avg. #Correct 56.5 -Avg. %Correct - 78.3



% Correct Answers

Q5-1 62 86.1Q5-2 45 62.5Q5-3 71 98.6Q5-4 56 77.8Q5-5 65 90.3Q5-6 67 93.1Q5-7 34 47.2Q5-8 60 83.3Q5-9 64 88.9Q5-10 68 94.4Q5-11 36 50.0Q5-12 70 97.2Q5-13 62 86.1Q5-14 48 66.7Avg. #Correct 57.7 -Avg. %Correct - 80.2

Table 7Focus Area (COB Goals 4.1e and 1.3)


% Correct Answers

Q6-1 (Project Evaluation

67 93.1

Q6-2 (Rubric Project evaluation

67 93.1

Avg. #Correct 67 -Avg. %Correct - 93.1

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Appendix 2: Mapping learning objectives, assessment measures and items

Table 1: Learning Objectives and Assessment Measures for IDM 3330

Learning Outcomes Assessment Measures Items

Students will have the opportunity to explore the many challenges facing MIS managers today and how these challenges are effectively identified, understood, and resolved. (COB Goal 4.1e)

The final exam includes questions from the test bank mapped to this objective. At least one question concerning each part of the objective will be included in exams.

Q1-1, Q1-2, Q1-3, Q1-4, Q1-5, Q1-6, Q1-7, Q1-8, Q1-9, Q1-10, Q1-11, Q1-12, Q1-13, Q1-14

Students will gain an understanding of organizational information systems architectures, information management, and knowledge management frameworks. (COB Goal 4.1e)


Q2-1, Q2-2, Q2-3, Q2-4, Q2-5, Q2-6, Q2-7, Q2-8, Q2-9, Q2-10, Q2-11, Q2-12, Q2-13, Q2-14

Students will gain appreciation for the ethical and social issues related to information systems. (COB Goal 4.1e and COB Goal 3.1)

The final exam includes questions from the test bank mapped to this objective. At least one question concerning each part of the objective will be included in exams

Q3-1, Q3-2, Q3-3, Q3-4, Q3-5, Q3-6, Q3-7, Q3-8, Q3-9, Q3-10, Q3-11, Q3-12, Q3-13, Q3-14

Students will develop basic business analysis skills using personal productivity and business software tools. (COB Goal 4.1e and COB Goal 2.1)

The department faculty will provide a set of tutorials and lectures on how to use personal productivity and business intelligence tools.

Assessment will be conducted using multiple homework assignments aimed at assessing each student’s proficiency with various personal productivity tools relevant to their future careers.

4-1 (Homework 1), 4-2 (Homework 2), 4-3 (Homework 3), 4-4 (Homework 4

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Students will gain an understanding of emerging trends and standards as they apply to information systems and technologies. (COB Goal 4.1e)


Q5-1, Q5-2, Q5-3, Q5-4, Q5-5, Q5-6, Q5-7, Q5-8, Q5-9, Q5-10, Q5-11, Q5-12, Q5-13, Q5-14

Students will gain collaboration, teamwork, communication, presentation and writing skills through a team project. (COB Goal 4.1e and COB Goal 1.3)

At the beginning of the semester, students will be divided into groups of 3-5 students. Each group will select an organizational IT topic to research and present. Deliverables are scheduled throughout the semester as the project progresses.

During the last 2 weeks of the semester, students will collectively present their research results to the class using a digital presentation format supplemented by other media outlets such as audio or video.

During the last 2 weeks of the semester, students will deliver a written report describing their research.

6-1 (Project Report), 6-2 (Project Presentation)

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Appendix 2: Homework Assignments

Introduction to MISHomework 1: Excel

The objective of this assignment is to augment your ability to use excel for advanced calculations.

You have been asked by a client to create a spreadsheet to help her keep track of her finances and conduct what-if analysis to help her figure out when she can buy a home.

Your client and her husband recently moved to Florida. They eventually want to buy a home, and want to pay off all of their debt and put down 20% of cost of the home before they can buyit. The need to figure out how long it will take them to pay their debt and make the down payment.

The spreadsheet should allow her to enter her income, deductions, taxes and other expenses (for both her and her husband). The expenses that need to be tracked are shown in the following image.

The sheet should calculate - Monthly income for each person- Monthly expenses for the couple (income tax, social security tax and retirement expenses

should be calculated based on salaries)- Monthly savings for the couple- Annual savings for the couple- Total debt for the couple- Total Balances for the couple’s deposit accounts- Number of months to pay off debt- Necessary down payment (House Price X 20%)- Number of months to pay off the debt and save the down payment

Format the spreadsheet to look presentable. Make sure to demonstrate that you know how to:1. Apply a background shade to some of the cells2. Apply a border to some of the cells

Upload your spreadsheet (remember to save) to the WTclass website by the deadline. Use the dropbox on the WTclass website under lessonsturn in your assignments here

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Introduction to MISHomework 4: Access

The objective of this assignment is to provide you with an opportunity to learn hands on the basics of data management with Microsoft Access.

1) Complete Tutorial B from page 15 to page 40 (do pages 15-40). Use the database that you crated in homework 2.

a. Save all Queries, even if the tutorial tells you not to. b. To create a new query, go to Create Query Design and add the relevant tables.c. If you need to add another table to the query latter, simply right click on the grey area and select

“Show Table”2) On Page 19, read the paragraphs about relating two or more tables. When you design your queries,

remember that you HAVE ALREADY defined two relationships in homework 2. So, if the lines are already there, you do not need to draw them again in your subsequent queries. If the lines you want are not there, you do need to draw them.

3) On Page 30-32, there is a subsection called “Using Time Arithmetic in Queries.” Do not do this section.4) On Page 37, there is a Delete query. DO NOT DO THE DELETE QUERY. However, please DO

Parameter Queries” subsection5) You should end up with 9 queries, all saved to your database. Submit the database using the WT class

website’s digital drop box (Under LESSONSTurn In Your Assignments Here). The list below indicates which figure shows the output of each query. Bear in mind that your data will be different from the example data, but, your query must still work.

6) Refer to the following list to make sure that you are saving the correct queries.

FIGUREQuery 1 – B-16Query 2 – B-18Query 3 – B-20Query 4 – B-26Query 5 – B-30Query 6 – B-33Query 7 – B-35

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Appendix 4IDM 3330 Group Project Assessment

Group Presentation as a wholeOverall overview of the presentation is providedSpeakers are introduced at the beginning and during presentationTransition and handoff between SpeakersCoherence of subtopics across speakersLevel of overlap across the presentationKey issues clearly stated and explainedValue added or learned from the presentationLevel of audio-video usagePresentation was easy to followPresentation time was adequatePresenters answered questions properly

SlidesClutter of slidesLevel of copy-paste from external sourcesOverall view of the coherency of the slidesPresentation of Text, color, images and chartsReadabilityAestheticsLayoutFont sizeSpellings and misspellingsConsistency

Individual PresentersKnowledge of the topicExplanation beyond slides bullet pointsTransition between slidesSpeaker was easy to followBeyond Book


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Appendix 5: Assessment Procedures and Test Bank

IntroductionThis document outlines the assessment process for IDM 3330 in support of AACSB requirements for the College of Business at West Texas A&M University.Course Name: IDM 3330 Management Information Systems Course Prerequisite: Junior standing. Course Description: In-depth study of conceptual, behavioral and psychological aspects of organizational information systems. Topics include development, operation, management, uses, parties involved, control, structure and social impacts of information systems.

Assessment Procedures:Based on the College of Business learning objectives as stated in the College faculty handbook, the Information and Decision Management Department developed six learning objectives to be achieved in the Management Information Systems (IDM 3330) course. Course focus areas 1, 2, 3 and 5 are assessed using exam questions embedded in each section’s final exam. Course focus area 4 is assessed using homework assignments and objective six is assessed using a group research project. Table 1 identifies these objectives, and describes how instructors will assess the success of each.

Learning Outcomes Assessment Measures Performance Level1. Students will have the opportunity to explore the many challenges facing MIS managers today and how these challenges are effectively identified, understood, and resolved.


This objective will be considered to be met if the 70% of all responses to all questions tied to this objective are answered correctly.

2. Students will gain an understanding of organizational information systems architectures, information management, and knowledge management frameworks.

Final exam includes questions from the test bank mapped to this objective. At least one question concerning each part of the objective will be included in exams.


3. Students will gain appreciation for the ethical and social

Final exam includes questions from the test bank mapped to this objective. At least one question concerning each part of

This objective will be considered to be met if the 70% of all responses

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issues related to information systems.

the objective will be included in exams. to all questions tied to this objective are answered correctly.

4. Students will develop basic business analysis skills using personal productivity and business software tools.

The department faculty will provide a set of tutorials and lectures on how to use personal productivity and business intelligence tools.

Assessment will be conducted using multiple homework assignments aimed at assessing each student’s proficiency with various personal productivity tools relevant to their future careers.

This objective will be considered to be met if 70% of all homework submissions receive a grade 70% or better.

5. Students will gain an understanding of emerging trends and standards as they apply to information systems and technologies.

Final exam includes questions from the test bank mapped to this objective. At least one question concerning each part of the objective will be included in exams.


6. Students will gain collaboration, teamwork, communication, presentation and writing skills through a team project.

At the beginning of the semester, students will be divided into groups of 3-5 students. Each group will select an organizational IT topic to research and present. Deliverables are scheduled throughout the semester as the project progresses.

During the last 2 weeks of the semester, students will collectively present their research results to the class using a digital presentation format supplemented by other media outlets such as audio or video.

During the last 2 weeks of the semester, students will deliver a written report describing their research.

This objective will be considered to be met only if 70% of all submitted reports receive a grade of 70% or better AND 70% of all presentations receive a grade of 70% or better.

Instructors across all sections of IDM 3330 will use a test bank to assess objectives 1, 2, 3 and 5. The questions in the test bank were agreed up on by the IDM faculty during a meeting on March 13, 2009. The questions, organized by the objective that they assess, are listed in Appendix A. To assess Objective 4, students will be given three to five homework assignments designed to stimulate critical thinking and develop technical skills. The instructor will assess each homework assignment and assign a grade indicating how well each student demonstrated each skill. These skills are as follows:

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SPREADSHEET Calculations

Functions (sum & average)

Formatting (Currency, Percentages, Shading, Borders)

What-If Analysis

Data mining for Business Intelligence

DATABASE Table design

Relationships (including an associative entry)

Data Entry Forms

Reports

Queries (including aggregate queries and queries involving calculated fields)

Each instructor will develop a group research project to assess Focus Area 6 in their sections. The instructor will assign a grade indicating how well each group member performed in terms of teamwork, communication, writing and presentation. Reporting: Each instructor will report the results to his/her department chair and the chair will combine the results for each section and forward the aggregated results to the College of Business Dean’s office.

Table 1: Item Analysis

o A list of all exam questions, homework assignments and components of the group project, organized by the learning objective that they assess

o Number of responses

o Number of correct responses

o Percent correct

The mean grade, standard deviation and number of observations for all students who finished the course

A list of any test questions, homework assignments or components of the final project for which the students failed to meet the desired performance level. For each:

o A list of potential explanations for why the desired performance level was not attained

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o A list of actionable solutions aimed at improving performance the next time that this course is taught.

A discussion section, describing how well students did in general, any relevant observations, case analyses of any relevant outliers and what has been learned from assessment this semester.

A “Next Steps Improvement Pan” section describing the actionable steps to be implemented the next time the course is taught.

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SECTION 4.3BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING GOAL FOUR MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND GENERAL BUSINESS

Section 4.3.1


Learning Objective #4.1f: Graduates of the BBA program will demonstrate a basic understanding of the common body of knowledge in Business Law.

Assessment Activity in BUSI 3312:

Data Collection

The Business Law faculty administered a set of questions to the 38 students taking BUSI 3312 in Spring 2009. The questions were embedded on the final exam and related specifically to the three learning objectives common to all sections of BUSI 3312 . These learning objectives are:

1. Recognize and analyze ethical and legal issues relating to business and make appropriate recommendation to resolve the problem.

2. Demonstrate knowledge of the principles and concepts of various laws that affect the many aspects of business.

3. Demonstrate knowledge of the consequences of unethical and illegal business behavior.


Analysis

The General Business faculty graded the work of their own students and reported the results to Dr. Nicolas Gerlich, the department head responsible for General Business. Dr. Gerlich synthesized the results and presented them to the DOCI.



Overall the class did poorly, with an insufficient class average (59%). Item and Learning Objective analyses revealed disturbing data, with students collectively performing below sufficiency on both Learning Objective #2 and Learning Objective #3. Selected quiz items had class averages that were much less than one would expect from mere guessing.

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Recommendations(s) for ImprovementThe sole assessment in this course for SP2009 was performed by an adjunct who admitted he did not teach all of the subjects covered on the assessment exam. In order to better control content and coverage in the future, we have mandated a common text for all sections of the course, as well as specific chapters and topics that must be covered. We are also considering moving to a broader more comprehensive assessment exam; instead of the 20-item quiz we have administered the last two spring semesters, we may go with a full-blown exam with up to 50 questions.

Furthermore, the Department will revisit Course Learning Objectives for BUSI 3312. In Spring 2008, there were 8 learning objectives, which was deemed a little too broad. This year that amount was collapsed to 3, which was too narrow. We will thus consider having 5 or 6 learning objectives, and then appropriate questions that can be attached more specifically to a learning objective.

Documentation

The department met and discussed assessments at its February 12, 2009 meeting, at which time an assessment plan was implemented for the various courses in which assessments were collected in the Spring 2009 semester. The department planned to collect data near the end of the semester. Data from the department’s core knowledge courses were to be analyzed by the Department Head in May and June 2009, with this summary report being submitted in July 2009. The department will meet again in September 2009 to discuss shortcomings and deficiencies noted herein, and plan for improvements before the next round of assessments

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Appendix AAssessment Exam Questions Mapped to Learning Objectives

Assessment Exam Question # Course Learning Objective(s)

College Learning Objective(s)

1. _________ means to follow the case precedent. 2

2. The soundest foundation for the creation of a sound private market is based on the rights of people to:

2

3. Law created by administrative agencies is called a/an:

2

4. Which statement is false?

A. The sharing of moral values promotes social cooperation and a means of social control.

B. Shared moral values causes social disharmony.

C. Shared moral values causes us to trust others. D. Shared moral values allows us to recognize

the limits on behavior.

3

5. The principal systems of ethics are: I. Formalism II. Consequentialism III. Utilitarianism

1

6. Since the primary goal of business is to make a profit, this orientation mainly involves:

2

7. Issues of fact are determined in the: 28. Judicial review is: 2

9. To have standing to sue, the plaintiff must prove:I. A case or controversy. II. A personal stake in the resolution.

III. At least $100,000 in damages.

2

10. Arbitration may be used when: 2

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11. The advantages of mediation include: 212. The supremacy clause means that: 213. The power of the federal government to regulate business activity is found in the:

2

14. What kinds of functions do administrative agencies have?

2

15. The first step in negotiating a contract is: 2

16. The UCC governs: 2

17. A tort resulting from an injury following a failure to use reasonable care is a/an ________ tort.

2

18. Which of the following is not an element of conspiracy?

2

19. The law of trademarks covers: 220. An agent:

A. May act on his or her own behalf, even at the expense of the principal.

B. May alter instructions from the principal if necessary if they choose to.

C. Must keep the principal fully informed. D. Is not required to provide an accounting to the principal.

2

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Appendix B

Table 1: Learning Objectives and Assessment Measures for BUSI 3312

Learning Outcomes Assessment Measures

1. Recognize and analyze ethical and legal issues relating to business and make appropriate recommendation to resolve the problem.

2. Demonstrate knowledge of the principles and concepts of various laws that affect the many aspects of business.

3. Demonstrate knowledge of the consequences of unethical and illegal business behavior.

There were 38 students who took the exam at the conclusion of the Spring 2009 semester. a) The composite average score was 59%b) Table 2 below illustrates the mapping of each item to Learning Objective(s), along with the overall percentage correct. Color coding in the right column reflects performance level classifications depicted in Table 3. c) Table 4 provides a columnar overview of the six learning objectives and the percentage correct on each associated item. The bottom row shows the average score each learning objective, as well as color coding as per Table 3.

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Table 2: Item Analysis for All Sections

Item #

LearningObjective

Number of Correct Responses

PercentageCorrect

1 2 6 15.79

2 2 8 21.05

3 2 24 63.16

4 3 18 47.37

5 1 31 81.58

6 2 23 60.53

7 2 18 47.37

8 2 32 84.21

9 2 10 26.32

10 2 8 21.05

11 2 17 44.74

12 2 2 5.26

13 2 3 7.89

14 2 18 47.37

15 2 15 39.47

16 2 21 55.26

17 2 6 15.79

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18 2 24 63.16

19 2 11 28.95

20 2 20 52.63

Table 3: Performance Levels

Performance Level Score Range

Insufficient < 70%

Sufficient 70% - 89.9%

Exemplary 90% or more

Table 4: Performance Cross-Tabulation (% correct as per learning objective)

Item #

LO#1 LO#2 LO#3

1 15.79

2 21.05

3 63.16

4 47.37

5 81.58

6 60.53

7 47.37

8 84.21

9 26.32

114

10 21.05

11 44.74

12 5.26

13 7.89

14 47.37

15 39.47

16 55.26

17 15.79

18 24.00

19 28.95

20 52.63

Avg 81.58 36.71 47.37

115


Section 4.3.2


Learning Objective #4.1g: Graduates of the BBA program will demonstrate a basic understanding of the common body of knowledge in Management.

Assessment Activity in MGT 3330:

Data Collection

The Management faculty administered a set of questions to the 72 students taking MGT 3330 in Spring 2009. The questions were embedded on the final exam and related specifically to the three learning objectives common to all sections of MGT 3330. These learning objectives are:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the vocabulary and key concepts that comprise management.2. Demonstrate team building and collaborative behavior in the accomplishment of group

goals and objectives.3. Demonstrate the ability to understand, analyze and resolve ethical dilemmas they may

encounter in business situations.4. Demonstrate knowledge of the major dimensions used to classify national cultures and

how the U.S. compares to selected other cultures.5. Identify and describe the impact of domestic and international institutions and markets on

business.


Analysis

The Management faculty graded the work of their own students and reported the results to Dr. Nicholas Gerlich, the department head responsible for Management. Dr. Gerlich synthesized the results and presented them to the DOCI.



116

Results for the Spring 2009 MGT 3330 assessments were favorable. The overall student score on the 50-item comprehensive test was 74%, and this occurring across two very different delivery methods taught by the same instructor (traditional face-to-face vs. ITV/Hybrid). Item analysis revealed 17 of the 50 items to have insufficient class average response rates. Analysis of the 5 course learning objectives revealed that students are performing sufficiently well in Learning Objectives #1, #4 and #5. Students scored just shy of Satisfactory on questions pertaining to Learning Objective #3. There were no questions included that addressed Learning Objective #2.


Major changes were made to the MGT 3330 instrument this year. While the 5 learning objectives stayed the same, the assessment instrument evolved from a 20-item quiz to a 50-item comprehensive exam. The Department has planned to implement assessment testing in each MGT 3330 course, each semester it is offered. Furthermore, we are moving to a standard text across all sections, utilizing a minimum 2-year acceptance before considering a replacement. A statement of mandatory topics to be covered in the course is being developed. The goal is to standardize the learning experience so that sources of potential variation are eliminated. Finally, the assessment instrument will be reviewed and modified so that questions pertaining to Learning Objective #2 are included.

Documentation

The department met and discussed assessments at its February 12, 2009 meeting, at which time an assessment plan was implemented for the various courses in which assessments were collected in the Spring 2009 semester. The department planned to collect data near the end of the semester. Data from the department’s core knowledge courses were to be analyzed by the Department Head in May and June 2009, with this summary report being submitted in July 2009. The department will meet again in September 2009 to discuss shortcomings and deficiencies noted herein, and plan for improvements before the next round of assessments.

117

Appendix AAssessment Exam Questions Mapped to Learning Objectives



1. Which skills increase in their importance to success as managers rise through the managerial ranks?

1 4.1

2. The goal of scientific management was to: 1 4.13. Nearly all organizations should be viewed as ____ that interact with their environments and depend on them for survival.

1 4.1

4. Changes in any sector of the general environment: 1 4.15. An organization engaged in ____ is searching the environment for important events or issues that might affect an organization.

1 4.1

6. A key factor influencing the relationship between companies and their suppliers is:

1 4.1

7. Managers can use behavioral addition and behavioral substitution to: 1 4.18. Employees tend to feel a greater sense of ownership and responsibility in companies with organizational cultures characterized by:

1 4.1

9. The ____ determined that companies can be prosecuted and punished for the illegal or unethical actions of employees, even if management didn't know about the unethical behavior.

3 3.1

10. What is the term used to describe the degree of concern people have about an ethical issue?

1 4.1

11. Which of the following statements about social responsibility and economic performance is true?

1 4.1

12. Managers can monitor ____ to track progress toward goal achievement. 1 4.113. Top management is responsible for developing long-term: 1 4.114. As mangers try to take a rational approach to decision making, they must contend with bounded rationality, which means they are restricted by:

1 4.1

15. The first step in the strategy-making process is to: 1 4.116. Which of the following is a mechanism used to examine external threats and opportunities facing a firm as well as its internal strengths and weaknesses?

1 4.1

17. Which of the following is NOT one of the five industry forces that determine an industry's overall attractiveness and potential for long-term profitability?

1 4.1

18. The purpose of ____ strategies is to choose an industry-level strategy that is best suited to changes in the organization's external environment.

1 4.1

19. A technology ____ begins with the "birth" of a new technology and ends when that technology reaches its limits and "dies" as it is replaced by a newer, substantially better technology.

1 4.1

118

20. Patterns of innovation over time that can create sustainable competitive advantage are called:

1 4.1

21. The two general kinds of trade barriers are: 5 3.222. Which of the following represents the correct sequence for the phase model of globalization?

5 3.2

23. Hofstede's research has shown there are: 4 3.324. ____ is the collection of activities that transforms inputs into outputs that customers value.

1 4.1

25. A(n) ____ function is an activity that contributes directly to creating or selling the company's products

1 4.1

26. Except for the core business activities that they can perform better, faster, and cheaper than others, ____ outsource all remaining business activities to outside companies, suppliers, specialists, or consultants.

1 4.1

27. Team rewards that depend on ____ are the key to rewarding team behaviors and efforts.

1 4.1

28. How would you respond to the following statement? "Group conflict is always bad."

1 4.1

29. ____ describes the average level of ability, experience, personality, or any other factor on a team.

1 4.1

30. To which of the following aspects of the human resource management process does federal employment law apply?

1 4.1

31. ____ is the loss of high-performing employees who voluntarily choose to leave a company.

1 4.1

32. A key difference between affirmative action and diversity is that: 4 3.333. ____ is the degree to which group members are psychologically attracted to working with each other to accomplish a common objective.

1 4.1

34. On the basis of research evidence, the two basic needs categories are: 1 4.135. According to the expectancy theory, ____ affect the conscious choices that people make about their motivation.

1 4.1

36. Which of the following statements about goal-setting theory is true? 1 4.137. According to the path-goal theory of leadership, ____ means setting challenging goals, having high expectations of employees, and displaying confidence that employees will assume responsibility and put forth extraordinary effort.

1 4.1

38. Transactional leaders: 1 4.139. The ____ is the system of official channels that carry organizationally approved messages and information.

1 4.1

40. The basic control process begins with: 1 4.141. In terms of the basic methods of control, ____ control is an improvement over ____ control because it attempts to eliminate or shorten the delay between performance and feedback about the performance.

1 4.1

119

42. ____ is a control method that encourages managers to look beyond traditional measures to evaluate four different perspectives on company performance.

1 4.1

43. Which of the following statements about the characteristics and costs of useful information is true?

1 4.1

44. Data mining is the: 1 4.145. The goal of an executive information system (EIS) is to: 1 4.146. Which of the following statements about knowledge is true? 1 4.147. A product’s quality is determined by its: 1 4.148. three principles that characterize TQM are continuous improvement, teamwork, and:

1 4.1

49. Which of the following types of operations are most dependent on the accuracy of sales forecasts?

1 4.1

50. Which of the following is the most flexible manufacturing operation? 1 4.1

120

Appendix B

Table 1: Learning Objectives and Assessment Measures for MGT 3330

Learning Outcomes Assessment Measures

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the vocabulary and key concepts that comprise management.

1-8,10-20,24-31,33-50

2. Demonstrate team building and collaborative behavior in the accomplishment of group goals and objectives.

none

3. Demonstrate the ability to understand, analyze and resolve ethical dilemmas they may encounter in business situations.

9

4. . Demonstrate knowledge of the major dimensions used to classify national cultures and how the U.S. compares to selected other cultures.

23, 32

5 Identify and describe the impact of domestic and international institutions and markets on business.

21,22

There were 72 students who took the exam at the conclusion of the Spring 2009 semester. a) The composite average score across these two sections was 74.00%b) Table 2 below illustrates the mapping of each item to learning objective(s), along with the overall percentage correct. Color coding in the right column reflects performance level classifications depicted in Table 3. c) Table 4 provides a columnar overview of the six learning objectives and the percentage correct on each associated item. The bottom row shows the average score each learning objective, as well as color coding as per Table 3.

121


Item #

LearningObjective


PercentageCorrect

1 1 35 48.61

2 1 62 86.11

3 1 59 81.94

4 1 58 80.56

5 1 72 100.00

6 1 31 43.06

7 1 58 80.56

8 1 66 91.67

9 3 48 66.67

10 1 59 81.94

11 1 33 45.83

12 1 48 66.67

13 1 45 62.50

14 1 45 62.50

15 1 55 76.39

16 1 55 76.39

17 1 40 55.56

122

18 1 51 70.83

19 1 66 91.67

20 1 63 87.50

21 5 64 88.89

22 5 59 81.94

23 4 61 84.72

24 1 60 83.33

25 1 62 86.11

26 1 55 76.39

27 1 66 91.67

28 1 59 81.94

29 1 34 47.22

30 1 54 75.00

31 1 57 79.17

32 4 45 62.50

33 1 48 66.67

34 1 24 33.33

35 1 58 80.56

36 1 24 33.33

37 1 61 84.72

38 1 62 86.11

39 1 62 86.11

123

40 1 63 87.50

41 1 45 62.50

42 1 56 77.78

43 1 13 18.06

44 1 66 91.67

45 1 68 94.44

46 1 68 94.44

47 1 64 88.89

48 1 61 84.72

49 1 49 68.06

50 1 47 65.28



Insufficient < 70%



124


Item # LO#1 LO#2 LO#3 LO#4 LO#5

1 48.61

2 86.11

3 81.94

4 80.56

5 100.00

6 43.06

7 80.56

8 91.67

9 66.67

10 81.94

11 45.83

12 66.67

13 62.50

14 62.50

15 76.39

16 76.39

17 55.56

18 70.83

125

19 91.67

20 87.50

21 88.89

22 81.94

23 84.72

24 83.33

25 86.11

26 76.39

27 91.67

28 81.94

29 47.22

30 75.00

31 79.17

32 62.50

33 66.67

34 33.33

35 80.56

36 33.33

37 84.72

38 86.11

39 86.11

126

40 87.50

41 62.50

42 77.78

43 18.06

44 91.67

45 94.44

46 94.44

47 88.89

48 84.72

49 68.06

50 65.28

Average 73.61 N/A 66.67 84.72 85.41

127


Section 4.3.3


Learning Objective #4.1h: Graduates of the BBA program will demonstrate a basic understanding of the common body of knowledge in Marketing.


Data Collection

The Marketing faculty administered a set of questions to the 112 students taking MKT 3340 in spring 2009. The questions were embedded on the final exam and related specifically to the three learning objectives common to all sections of MKT 3340. These learning objectives are:

1. Comprehend the role of marketing management in modern organizations.2. Comprehend product, prices, place, and promotion within domestic and global marketing

activities.3. Demonstrate knowledge of the stages of the new product development process.4. Comprehend how the Internet and other emerging technologies have changed marketing

practices.5. Comprehend integrated marketing communications and their role in marketing strategy.6. Comprehend the ethical responsibilities of marketing professionals.


Analysis

The marketing faculty graded the work of their own students and reported the results to Dr. Nicolas Gerlich, the department head responsible for Marketing. Dr. Gerlich synthesized the results and presented them to the DOCI.



128

Results for the Spring 2009 MKT 3340 assessments were very positive. The overall student score on the 50-item comprehensive test was nearly 82.4%, and this occurring across two instructors. Item analysis revealed 8 of the 50 items to have insufficient class average response rates, but aggregate inspection of the 6 course learning objectives revealed that students are performing sufficiently well in all of them.


Major changes were made to the MKT 3340 instrument this year. While the 6 learning objectives stayed the same, the assessment instrument evolved from a 20-item quiz to a 50-item comprehensive exam. The Department has planned to implement assessment testing in each MKT 3340 course, each semester it is offered. Furthermore, we are moving to a standard text across all sections, utilizing a minimum 2-year acceptance before considering a replacement. A statement of mandatory topics to be covered in the course is being developed. The goal is to standardize the learning experience so that sources of potential variation are eliminated.

Documentation

The department met and discussed assessments at its February 12, 2009 meeting, at which time an assessment plan was implemented for the various courses in which assessments were collected in the Spring 2009 semester. The department planned to collect data near the end of the semester. Data from the department’s core knowledge courses were to be analyzed by the Department Head in May and June 2009, with this summary report being submitted in July 2009. The department will meet again in September 2009 to discuss shortcomings and deficiencies noted herein, and plan for improvements before the next round of assessments.

129

MKT 3340 - Appendix B - Assessment Exam Questions Mapped to Learning Objectives



1. The American Marketing Association's definition of marketing: 1 4.1

2. Compaq Computer's decision to charge customers for phone technical support to defray the high cost of phone support and encourage customers to read documentation was a failure because consumers like the human touch. Customer rebellion forced Compaq to rethink this policy. As a result, Compaq decided to focus its resources on reaching the inexpensive home computer market segment through enhanced customer service. This company engaged in:

2 4.1

3. General Electric has a security division that builds equipment for screening passenger luggage checked in at airports. This division is composed of InVision Technologies, which manufactures CT scanners, and Ion Track, which measures luggage for trace elements of drugs and explosives. GE's security division is an example of a(n):

2 4.1

4. Coca-Cola drink vending machines are found all over the world. The newest machines have an interactive screen that runs advertisements and allows users to obtain free photos of themselves and ring tones after they have bought a drink. The reason for the introduction of this new style vending machine is to "allow the company to interact more directly with its

4 4.1

130

customers." According to a SWOT analysis, the technology used by these machines and the need to interact with customers are both examples of: 5. PPR, the French retail and luxury goods group, announced plans to sell its Printemps department store chain. PPR will create a _____ advantage by restructuring and selling off the department chain that does not complement its luxury product lines. Through re-engineering the company hopes to increase its profit margins, improve inventory turnover, and make itself more attractive to investors.

2 4.1

6._____ is a strategy of increasing market share for present products in existing markets.

2 4.1

7. The four components of the pyramid of corporate social responsibility are:

6 3.1

8. A furniture retailer that specializes in selling entire rooms of furniture has hired you to identify 25 geographic target markets that can be described as multicultural societies. What types of locations should you offer this firm?

2 4.1

9. Which of the following statements about global marketing is true? 2 4.110. _____ is a legal process whereby a firm agrees to let another firm use its manufacturing process, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, or other proprietary knowledge in return for a fee or royalty.

6 3.1

11. After a need or want is recognized, a consumer may be motivated to clarify the options available and generate an evoked set of brands. This occurs during which part of the consumer decision-making process?

2 4.1

12. A cooperative agreement between business firms is a: 2 4.113. Caterpillar, the manufacturer of earthmoving equipment, uses completed drivetrains (engines-transmissions-axles), drivetrain components, electronic controls, hydraulic and electrohydraulic components and systems, cooling systems, and undercarriage track systems produced by other organizations in its manufacturing process. Caterpillar is an example of a(n):

2 4.1

14. Which of the following is NOT one of the four criteria identified in the text for successful market segmentation?

2 4.1

15. A(n) _____ is a group of people or organizations for whom an organization designs, implements, and maintains a marketing mix intended to meet the needs of that group, resulting in mutually satisfying exchanges.

2 4.1

4

131

16. _____ is the creation of a large computerized file of customers' and potential customers' names, profiles, and purchase patterns.

4 4.1

17. _____ is the process of planning, collecting, and analyzing data relevant to marketing decision making. The results of this analysis are then communicated to management.

1 4.1

18. Marketing managers can use marketing research to: 1 4.119. Compared to the other classifications of consumer products, shopping products are:

2 4.1

20. A regional utility company needs to change consumers' perceptions of its current service as being harmful to the environment. Which of the following strategies would best allow the company to accomplish this goal?

5 4.1

21. Tyler wants the Coca-Cola Barbie by Mattel for her birthday. This Mattel product contains items with the Coca-Cola trademark, and Barbie is wearing an outfit in Coca-Cola red and white. Because both brands are receiving equal treatment, this is most likely an example of:

2 4.1

22. When Glade brand air freshener began marketing a clean linen-scented air spray, the action could be classified as a(n):

3 4.1

23. The first stage of the new-product development process is: 3 4.124. Which of the following statements about how adopters participate in the diffusion process is FALSE?

2 4.1

25. Which of the following statements about the product life cycle (PLC) is true?

2 4.1

26. Jackson Caputo owns and operates Jax Stables, a complete horse service that offers grooming, training, show training for handlers, boarding, and veterinary care. To maintain a quality image, Caputo regularly provides training for each employee in the company's operations, objectives, and expected performance standards. What unique aspect of services is Caputo attempting to address?

1 4.1

27. The ability of each hotel guest to use his or her room’s television to check out of the hotel room and to confirm additional charges on bills in the hotel's restaurants and gift shops is an example of:

4 4.1

28. A(n) _____ discrepancy is created when a product is produced but a consumer is not ready to purchase it.

2 4.1

29. A(n) _____ is an institution that buys goods from manufacturers, takes title to these goods, and resells them to businesses, government agencies, and/or other wholesalers or retailers.

2 4.1

30. Which of the following statements about supply chain management is true?

2 4.1

31. _____ is defined as all activities directly related to the sale of goods and 2 4.1

132

services to the ultimate consumer for personal, nonbusiness use or consumption. 32. The initial attraction of drugstores for consumers was the pharmaceuticals they carried, but now consumers can have their prescriptions filled at mass merchandisers, and supermarkets and through the mail. What have drugstores done to remain competitive?

1 4.1

33. _____ is the retailing strategy of using moderate to low prices on large quantities of products and lower service to stimulate a high turnover of inventory.

2 4.1

34. Which of the following statements about advertising is true? 5 4.135. _____ consists of all marketing activities that stimulate consumer purchasing such as coupons, contests, free samples, and trade shows.

5 4.1

36. What are the three basic tasks of promotion? 5 4.137. Why do companies with new brands that have a small market share tend to spend proportionately more for advertising and sales promotions compared to those with a large market share for existing products?

3 4.1

38. Frito-Lay has run television and print commercials in which it shows that consumers prefer Frito's Stax crisps to Procter & Gamble's Pringles. This is an example of _____ advertising.

5 4.1

39. A(n) _____ is a specific communication task that a campaign should accomplish for a specified target audience during a specified period of time.

5 4.1

133

40. A _____ is a cash refund given to consumers for the purchase of a product during a specific time period.

2 4.1

41. Point-of-purchase promotions work best for: 2 4.142. Grove City Furniture Company has recently moved to a new, larger location. At this new location, it has been unable to attract sufficient customers. Frankie Alonza, its owner, does not have the cash to pay the current loan installment due on the building and inventory. Alonza has decided to reduce all merchandise prices by at least 50 percent for a weekend sale so he can earn enough to make his loan payment. His pricing objective can be classified as:

2 4.1

43. What happens when demand is elastic? 2 4.144. Which of the following is most likely to be a variable cost for an Internet retailer that sells spices, herbs, and seasonings to consumers?

4 4.1

45. For which of the following situations would a price-skimming strategy be most appropriate?

2 4.1

46. The introductory price for the Nintendo Gamecube video game console was $100 lower than the list price of Xbox and Playstation 2, its only two competitors. Given this information, you can assume Nintendo used a(n) _____ policy for its Gamecube.

2 4.1

47. Marketing two or more products in a single package for a special price is known as:

2 4.1

48. _____ is a company-wide business strategy designed to optimize profitability, revenue, and customer satisfaction by focusing on highly defined and precise customer segments.

2 4.1

49. Customer relationship management: ` 1 4.150. Customer-centric is an internal management philosophy similar to: 1 4.1

134

MKT 3340 - Appendix A

Table 1: Learning Objectives and Assessment Measures for MKT3340

Course Learning Objectives Assessment Measures on Test1. Comprehend the role of marketing

management in modern organizations.

1,4,6,7,10,13,14,15,16

2. Comprehend product, prices, place, and promotion within domestic and global marketing activities.

2,3,5,9,14,20

3. Demonstrate knowledge of the stages of the new product development process.

2,5,8,19

4. Comprehend how the Internet and other emerging technologies have changed marketing practices.

11,12,13,17

5. Comprehend integrated marketing communications and their role in marketing strategy.

18,19

6. Comprehend the ethical responsibilities of marketing professionals.

1,4,5

There were 112 students who took the exam at the conclusion of the Spring 2009 semester. a) The composite average score across these two sections was 82.37%b) Table 2 below illustrates the mapping of each item to learning objective(s), along with the overall percentage correct. Color coding in the right column reflects performance level classifications depicted in Table 3. c) Table 4 provides a columnar overview of the six learning objectives and the percentage correct on each associated item. The bottom row shows the average score each learning objective, as well as color coding as per Table 3.

135


Item #

LearningObjective


PercentageCorrect

1 1 78 69.64

2 2 83 74.11

3 2 82 73.21

4 4 63 56.25

5 2 29 25.89

6 2 95 84.82

7 6 98 87.50

8 2 102 91.07

9 2 70 62.50

10 6 81 72.32

11 2 96 85.71

12 2 104 92.86

13 2 102 91.07

14 2 105 93.75

15 2 99 88.39

16 4 103 91.96

17 1 107 95.54

136

18 1 107 95.54

19 2 97 86.61

20 5 101 90.18

21 2 66 58.93

22 3 69 61.61

23 3 92 82.14

24 2 97 86.61

25 2 84 75.00

26 1 92 82.14

27 4 98 87.50

28 2 70 62.50

29 2 104 92.86

30 2 103 91.96

31 2 97 86.61

32 1 98 87.50

33 2 97 86.61

34 5 102 91.07

35 5 108 96.43

36 5 104 92.86

37 3 101 90.18

38 5 103 91.96

39 5 93 83.04

137

40 2 100 89.29

41 2 108 96.43

42 2 82 73.21

43 2 90 80.36

44 4 96 85.71

45 2 77 68.75

46 2 91 81.25

47 2 95 84.82

48 2 86 76.79

49 1 102 91.07

50 1 103 91.96



Insufficient < 70%




Item # LO#1 LO#2 LO#3 LO#4 LO#5 LO#6

1 69.64

138

2 74.11

3 73.21

4 56.25

5 25.89

6 84.82

7 87.50

8 91.07

9 62.50

10 72.32

11 85.71

12 92.86

13 91.07

14 93.75

15 88.39

16 91.96

17 95.54

18 95.54

19 86.61

20 50.18

21 58.93

22 61.61

139

23 82.14

24 86.61

25 75.00

26 82.14

27 87.50

28 62.50

29 92.86

30 91.96

31 86.61

32 87.50

33 86.61

34 91.07

35 96.43

36 92.86

37 90.18

38 91.96

39 83.04

40 89.29

41 96.43

42 73.21

43 80.36

140

44 85.71

45 68.75

46 81.25

47 84.82

48 76.79

49 91.07

50 91.96

Average 87.55 80.07 77.98 80.35 90.92 79.91

141

SECTION 4.4BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING GOAL FOUR ETS EXAM RESULTS


Learning Objective #4.1: Students will demonstrate a basic understanding of the common body of knowledge in the following business disciplines:

a. Accountingb. Economicsc. Financed. Quantitative Business Analysise. Computer Information Systemsf. Business Lawg. Management h. Marketing

Assessment Activity in MGT 4315:

Data Collection

The ETS Major Field Test in Business was administered to 37 BBA students taking MGT 4315 (i.e., BBA capstone course) in the summer 2009. Performance on the exam was counted as a significant component of the student final grade (e.g., 15%) and a brief review of foundation materials for every discipline was included as part of a short content review before the exam (e.g., review materials available at http://www.wtamu.edu/academics/college-business-facilities-and-resources.aspx). See Appendix A for ETS exam results.

Analysis

The ETS exam is an external direct assessment instrument. The examination is not a great match with all WT BBA specific course learning objectives but it does provide a global view of student knowledge retention of key business concepts. See Appendix A for the results arranged by COB learning objectives for the BBA as noted above.

The College of Business has determined that a score of 50th to 70th percentile is acceptable for the ETS exam at this time in the evolution of our program. Score below the 50th percentile are viewed as unacceptable and scores above the 70th percentile are viewed as exemplary.

Students did acceptable or exemplary work (greater than 50th percentile) for Course Learning Objectives 4.1a, 4.1b, 4.1d, 4.1f, 4.1h, and 3.2 (global and domestic economy). Performance on Objectives 4.1c, 4.1e, and 4.1g are below the target performance of the 50th percentile.

142

http://www.wtamu.edu/academics/college-business-facilities-and-resources.aspx

http://www.wtamu.edu/academics/college-business-facilities-and-resources.aspx

Two concerns about the ETS have been identified. First, the exam does not always map well to some discipline specific course learning objectives. For example, economics faculty members believe market structure and elasticity are core concepts for microeconomic theory but the ETS exam tends to focus more heavily on the theories of Adam Smith (e.g., division of labor). Second, the percentile scores on the ETS are not consistent across disciplines. For example, the raw score for the 2009 ETS exam for Information Systems is 56 but the percentile score is only at the 25th percentile. The raw score for economics is 55 with an 85th percentile score. Ultimately, our students consistently score between 50-60% on all areas of the ETS exam but the percentile scores are dramatically different across disciplines. The lack of discipline consistency creates a problem when trying to incorporate meaningful assessment actions.


The faculty members in each specific discipline are reviewing the relative amount of time and effort devoted to each block of material considered essential to a proper understanding of core business knowledge. The College should consider creating an internal comprehensive assessment exam in lieu of the ETS exam in order to more clearly test student performance with exam questions that are more aligned with specific learning objectives in foundation courses. The ETS exam should still be employed every two or three years as an external relative comparison tool but an internal exam employed on a regular basis is expected to yield more meaningful assessment results.

Documentation

Results from the ETS exam are shared with all COB faculty members and the department heads. The faculty members and department heads will review the results in the fall and forward recommendation for program changes to the Director of Continuous Improvement and the Dean. A copy of raw assessment results for summer 2009 will be housed in the dean’s office and eventually moved to the Director of Continuous Improvement after the relocation to the remodeled Classroom Center building.

143

Appendix A

Table 1: Educational Test Services (ETS) Major Field Achievement Test in Business assessment results for the year 2009.

Category Raw Score for 2009

Percentile Score for 2009



Accounting 53 65th 10th 35th

Economics 55 85th 20th 60th

Finance 54 35th 1st 45th

Quant. Business 51 75th 95th 35th

Info. Systems 56 25th NA NA

Legal & Society 49 65th 90th 60th

Management 55 45th 55th 25th

Marketing 56 65th 15th 35th

International 59 65th 5th 50th

Overall Mean 154 55th 45th 45th

Overall Median 155 65th 55th 50th

Explicit 2009 ETS Results by COB Learning Objectives:4.1a—Accounting: 65th percentile (acceptable)4.1b—Economics: 85th percentile (exemplary)4.1c—Finance: 35th percentile (unacceptable)4.1d—Quantitative Business Analysis: 75th percentile (exemplary)4.1e—Computer Information Systems: 25th percentile (unacceptable)4.1f—Business Law: 65th percentile (acceptable)4.1g—Management: 45th percentile (unacceptable)4.1h—Marketing: 65th percentile (acceptable)3.2—Global and Domestic Economy: 65th percentile (acceptable)

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SECTION 5.0

FULL REPORT OF ASSURANCE OF LEARNING RESULTS

MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Full Report of Assurance of Learning Results for the Masters of Business Administration, summer 2009.

This report is a full description of the assessment process for each learning goal of the Masters of Business Administration. A summary of the results is available.

Learning Goal #1: Graduates of the MBA program will communicate effectively as managers.

Learning Objective 1.1: Demonstrate capacity to employ written presentation channels to effectively communicate with different levels of personnel and meet organizational goals.


Data Collection

Fifteen students participated in a writing assignment in Dr. Neil Terry’s International Economics class (ECON 6341).

Students were assigned to write an opinion paper discussing the good and/or bad aspects of free trade and globalization.

Dr. Terry then provided the student’s papers to the Director of Continuous Improvement (DOCI) who distributed the papers to Dr. Anne Macy, Dr. Rex Pjesky, and Dr. Neil Terry. (Note that Dr. Terry assigned grades to each of the students for purpose of class evaluation. That evaluation was independent and separate from this assessment process.) The committee of three professors was used to reduce the variance of the scores across the assessment process to obtain results that are more comparable across different objectives and assignments.

Drs. Macy, Pjesky, and Terry (the faculty committee) graded each student’s paper using the “Professional Writing Assessment Form (MBA)” located on page 34 of the West Texas A&M University College of Business Assessment Plan for the 2008-2009 Academic Year.

The faculty committee graded each student as “poor” (one point,) “acceptable” (two points,) or “exemplary” (three points) in the sub categories of executive summary, introduction, background, analysis of issue, recommendations, conclusion, references, and style.

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Analysis


Table 1.1.1: Results from Dr. Terry’s writing assignment

CATEGORY

PERCENT OF STUDENTS


PERCENT OF STUDENTS


SCORE

PERCENT OF STUDENTS

RECEIVING AN “EXEMPLARY”

SCORESummary 27 73 0

Introduction 20 67 13Background 40 60 0

Analysis 33 53 13Recommendations 27 67 7

Conclusion 27 60 13References 40 47 13

Style 40 60 0Overall * 53 47 0

Overall Percent Average

38 55 7

Table 1.1.1 reports detailed information about how the faculty committee rated the students. To receive a “poor” score overall, a student must average between 3 (the lowest possible on the scale) and 5.9. An average score of 6.0 and 8.9 was considered “acceptable.” To be rated “excellent,” a student must average 9 on the scale; that is the student must be rated excellent by all three faculty judges in all three categories.


Overall (the average of the eight categories) 47% of the students in the sample scored “acceptable” or higher.


The students did not do well (only 47% were acceptable or better) there is considerable room for improvement. To improve the outcome the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement solutions.

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Documentation

The process used to assess, analyze, and implement change must be documented. Attach to this report the pertinent part of the minutes of department or curriculum committee meetings detailing the activities in this process and the steps taken for continuous improvement for each leaning goal.

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Learning Goal #3: Graduates of the MBA program will be knowledgeable of ethical, global, and social trends affecting business decisions. Learning Objective 3.1: Demonstrate capacity to recognize and evaluate ethical dimensions of business decisions and the effects on stakeholders.


Data Collection


Students were assigned to write a paper discussing ethical implications of Paul Collier’s views on military intervention by developed nations in failed states. Dr. Terry then provided the student’s papers to the Director of Continuous Improvement (DOCI) who distributed the papers to Dr. Anne Macy, Dr. Rex Pjesky, and Dr. Neil Terry. (Note that Dr. Terry assigned grades to each of the students for purpose of class evaluation. That evaluation was independent and separate from this assessment process.) The committee of three professors was used to reduce the variance of the scores across the assessment process to obtain results that are more comparable across different objectives and assignments.

Drs. Macy, Pjesky, and Terry (the faculty committee) graded each student’s paper using the “Global Business Environment (MBA)” located on page 38 of the West Texas A&M University College of Business Assessment Plan for the 2008-2009 Academic Year.

The faculty committee graded each student as “poor” (one point,) “acceptable” (two points,) or “exemplary” (three points) in the sub categories of detection, considers stakeholders, and chooses an action.

Analysis


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Table 3.1.1: Results from Dr. Terry’s ethics assignment

CATEGORY

PERCENT OF STUDENTS


PERCENT OF STUDENTS


SCORE

PERCENT OF STUDENTS



Detection 24 47 29Considers

Stakeholders24 59 18

Chooses an Action 29 53 18 Table 3.1.1 reports detailed information about how the faculty committee rated the students. To receive a “poor” score overall, a student must average between 3 (the lowest possible on the scare) and 5.9. An average score of 6.0 and 8.9 was considered “acceptable.” To be rated “excellent,” a student must average 9 on the scale; that is the student must be rated excellent by all three faculty judges in all three categories.


Overall (the average of the three categories) 71% of the students in the sample scored “acceptable” or higher. The results of each subcategory were similar.


The students did well (71% were acceptable or better) but there is still room for improvement. To improve the outcome the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement solutions.

Documentation


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Learning Goal #3: Graduates of the MBA program will communicate effectively as managers.

Learning Objective 3.2: Demonstrate knowledge of the issues involved in conduction business in a diverse, global environment.


Data Collection


Students were assigned to write an opinion paper discussing the good and/or bad aspects of free trade and globalization.


Drs. Macy, Pjesky, and Terry (the faculty committee) graded each student’s paper using the “Global Business Environment (MBA)” located on page 39 of the West Texas A&M University College of Business Assessment Plan for the 2008-2009 Academic Year.

The faculty committee graded each student as “poor” (one point,) “acceptable” (two points,) or “exemplary” (three points) in the sub categories of identification of global factors, international trade theories, analysis of global factors, and application of analysis to management situation.

Analysis


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Table 3.2.1: Results from Dr. Terry’s global business environment assignment

CATEGORY

PERCENT OF STUDENTS


PERCENT OF STUDENTS


SCORE

PERCENT OF STUDENTS



Identification 13 73 13International

Trade Theories13 80 7

Analysis 13 87 0Application 20 60 20

Table 3.2.1 reports detailed information about how the faculty committee rated the students. To receive a “poor” score overall, a student must average between 3 (the lowest possible on the scare) and 5.9. An average score of 6.0 and 8.9 was considered “acceptable.” To be rated “excellent,” a student must average 9 on the scale; that is the student must be rated excellent by all three faculty judges in all three categories.


Overall (the average of the four categories) 87% of the students in the sample scored “acceptable” or higher. The results of each subcategory were similar.


The students did well (87% were acceptable or better) but there is still room for improvement. To improve the outcome the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement solutions.

Documentation


151

SECTION 6.0


MASTERS OF PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTING

Full Report of Assurance of Learning Results for the Masters of Professional Accounting, summer 2009.

Goal 3: Business Environment: Objectives:3.1 Business Ethics: Demonstrate capacity to recognize and evaluate ethical dimensions of

accounting decisions and effects on stakeholders.

Goal 4: Accounting Integration: Objectives:4.1 Core Knowledge: Demonstrate knowledge of accounting principles generally accepted in

the United States of America (GAAP) for business enterprises, not-for-profit organizations, and governmental entities, and the skills needed to apply that knowledge.

4.2 Professional Standards: Demonstrate understanding of auditing procedures, standards, and rules of professional conduct.

4.3 Application: Demonstrate understanding of tax laws applied to personal and business decisions.

Data Collection

The MPA comprehensive examination was administered to 8 MPA students during 2008-2009 as a capstone examination. Passing all section of the examination is required as part of MPA degree confirmation. All graduate faculty members supporting the MPA program are involved with forwarding examination questions and/or grading the examination results at least once during the academic year.

Analysis

The MPA comprehensive examination is an internal direct assessment instrument. The examination is mapped to program learning goals 3.1, 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3. The examination questions are reviewed, revised, and changed each fall/spring/summer offering. See Appendix A for the results arranged by learning objectives for the MPA program as noted above.

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The MPA faculty members have determined that at a pass rate of 80% or higher is the target for all learning objectives and the for the overall pass rate. Students did acceptable or exemplary work (80% pass rate) for all four program learning objectives for 2008-2009.

One concern with the MPA exam is the lack of students scoring at the exemplary-level. Although the pass rate is relatively high, overall performances on all objectives are consistently a pass with few exemplary scores. One possible explanation for the results is the number of required advanced courses in taxation. Due to the lack of a required corporate and property tax course, most students do not appear to learn enough to earn exemplary scores on the comprehensive exam. Another explanation for the results is that the accounting ethics course was taught for the first time in Spring 2009. The course will be taught each spring in the future.


The faculty members supporting the MPA program need to review the curriculum and identify changes necessary to raise the number of exemplary scores. The modification of accounting courses focusing on application is under preliminary discussion by the MPA faculty members.

Documentation

Results from the MPA exam are shared with all program faculty members and the department heads as students complete the examination. MPA results for each student are forwarded to the Graduate School. The faculty members and department head review the results throughout the year, with an explicit focus in the fall, and forward recommendation for program changes to the director of assessment and the dean.

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Appendix A

Table 1: MPA Comprehensive Examination Results 2008-2009

MPA Objective No Pass (Unacceptable)

Pass (Acceptable)

High Pass (Exemplary)

Pass Rate

3.1 Business Ethics 0 6 2 100%

4.1 Core Knowledge 0 5 3 100%

4.2 Professional Standards 0 5 3 100%

4.3 Application 0 7 1 100%

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SECTION 7.0


MASTERS OF FINANCE AND ECONOMICS

Full Report of Assurance of Learning Results for the Masters of Finance and Economics, summer 2009.

This report is a full description of the assessment process for each learning goal of the Masters of Finance and Economics. A summary of the results is available.

Learning Goal #2: Graduates of the MSFE program will be analytical thinkers and problem solvers.

Learning Objective 2.1: Demonstrate capacity to use finance and economic analytical tools to analyze complex problems and recommend feasible solutions.


Data Collection

Seventeen students participated in a writing assignment in Dr. Neil Terry’s International Economics class (ECON 6341).

Students were assigned to review the case of Roman Polanski and render a decision on his future.


Drs. Macy, Pjesky, and Terry (the faculty committee) graded each student’s paper using the “Critical Thinking Assessment Form (MSFE)” located on page 66 of the West Texas A&M University College of Business Assessment Plan for the 2008-2009 Academic Year.

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The faculty committee graded each student as “poor” (one point,) “acceptable” (two points,) or “exemplary” (three points) in the sub categories of ability to formulate an effective strategy for solving problems, ability to implement an effective strategy for solving problems, ability to defend and support an appropriate decision.

Analysis


Table 2.1.1: Results from Dr. Terry’s critical thinking assignment

CATEGORY

PERCENT OF STUDENTS


PERCENT OF STUDENTS


SCORE

PERCENT OF STUDENTS



Formulate 0 88 12Implement 0 94 6

Defend 0 94 6 Table 2.1.1 reports detailed information about how the faculty committee rated the students. To receive a “poor” score overall, a student must average between 3 (the lowest possible on the scare) and 5.9. An average score of 6.0 and 8.9 was considered “acceptable.” To be rated “excellent,” a student must average 9 on the scale; that is the student must be rated excellent by all three faculty judges in all three categories.


Overall (the average of the three categories) 100% of the students in the sample scored “acceptable” or higher. The same was true across all subcategories.


The students did well (100% were acceptable or better) but there may be room for improvement. To improve the outcome the curriculum committee, the department heads, the dean, and the DOCI will collaborate to formulate and implement solutions.

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Documentation


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Learning Goal 3: Business Environment: Graduates of the MSFE program will be aware of ethical, global, and social ramifications of business and economic decisions.

Objectives:3.1 Business Ethics: Demonstrate capacity to recognize and evaluate ethical dimensions

of financial decisions and effects on stakeholders. 3.2 Global Business Environment: Demonstrate knowledge of the issues involved in

conducting business in a diverse, global environment.

Learning Goal 4: Finance and Economics Integration: Graduates of the MSFE program will be knowledgeable of advanced theoretical and applied concepts in economics and finance.

Objectives:4.1 Theoretical Integration: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of advanced

theoretical concepts in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and financial management.

4.2 Quantitative Integration: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of advanced quantitative and statistical skills to solve finance and economic problems.

Assessment Activity:

Data Collection

The MSFE comprehensive examination was administered to 11 MSFE students (i.e., 10 individual students with one student retaking the exam) during the 2008-2009 as a capstone examination. Passing all section of the examination is required as part of MSFE degree confirmation. All graduate faculty members supporting the MSFE program are involved with forwarding examination questions and/or grading the examination results at least once during the academic year.

Analysis

The MSFE comprehensive examination is an internal direct assessment instrument. The examination is mapped to program learning goals three and four. Although the examination primarily focuses on learning goal four, one or more questions offered relate to goal three. The examination questions are reviewed, revised, and changed each fall/spring/summer offering. See Appendix A for the results arranged by learning objectives for the MSFE program as noted above.

The MSFE faculty members have determined that at a pass rate of 80% or higher is the target for all learning objectives and the for the overall pass rate. Students did acceptable

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or exemplary work (80% pass rate) for all four program learning objectives for 2008-2009.

One concern with the MSFE exam is the lack of students scoring at the exemplary-level. Although the pass rate is relatively high, overall performances on all objectives are consistently a pass with few exemplary scores. One possible explanation for the results is the integrations of several key MSFE core courses with the MBA and MPA curriculum. MSFE students might be relatively strong in a core class such as ECON 6305 (e.g., Advanced Microeconomic Theory) in relative terms given over half the class enrollment is derived from MBA students. Although the students are strong in core courses relative to external majors (e.g., MBA), most students do not appear to learn enough to earn exemplary scores on the comprehensive exam.


The faculty members supporting the MSFE program need to review the curriculum and identify courses that can be more focused to MSFE students and raise the number of exemplary scores. The addition of core courses focusing on empirical and/or research methods are under preliminary discussion by the MSFE faculty members.

Documentation

Results from the MSE exam are shared with all program faculty members and the department heads as students complete the examination. MSFE results for each student are forwarded to the Graduate School. The faculty members and department head review the results throughout the year, with an explicit focus in the fall, and forward recommendation for program changes to the director of assessment and the dean.

Appendix A

Table 1: MSFE Comprehensive Examination Results 2008-2009

MSFE Objective No Pass (Unacceptable)

Pass (Acceptable)

High Pass (Exemplary)

Pass Rate

3.1 Business Ethics 0 10 1 100%

3.2 Global Bus. Environment 1 7 3 91%

4.1 Theoretical Integration 2 7 2 82%

4.2 Quantitative Integration 2 8 1 82%

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SECTION 8.0

AD HOC ASSESSMENT REPORTS

AD HOC REPORT #12008-2009 STUDENT TRAVEL

By Neil Terry, Dean and Professor of EconomicsJuly 21, 2009

The College of Business believes that off-campus travel creates learning experiences that are essential to student professional development. Over fifty percent of the student body at WT are first-generation college students and often have a limited background with respect to traveling outside of the Texas Panhandle. Summary results for 2008-2009 student travel are as follows:

September 2008:Place: Dallas, TexasNumber: Four students and one faculty memberReason: Hodges Capital Management Investment Forum

October 2008: Place: Magnolia, ArkansasNumbers: Six students and one faculty memberReason: SIFE Walgreens Wrangle Competition

March 2009: Place: Rogers, ArkansasNumbers: Forty-two students and one faculty memberReason: SIFE Regional Competition

March 2009: Place: Houston, TexasNumbers: Ten students and three faculty/staff membersReason: Tour Hewlett-Packard and NASA

May 2009: Place: Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaNumbers: Thirty-eight students and one faculty memberReason: SIFE National Competition

June 2009: Place: Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

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Numbers: Twelve students and two faculty/staff membersReason: Student Exchange Program

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COLLEGE OF BUSINESSSUMMARY ASSESSMENT REPORT

AD HOC REPORT #22008-2009 STUDENT EMPLOYMENT


The College of Business (COB) believes that employment of our graduates is a key indirect assessment tool. The University surveys undegraduate students at the spring graduation to obtain general job market information on current graduates. The College of Agriculture, Science and Engineering (ASE), College of Business (COB), College of Education and Social Sciences (ESS), College of Fine Arts and Humanities (FAH), and Nursing and Health Sciences (NHS) all participate in the survey. Below is a comparative summary report of the employment status of COB and WT spring (May) 2009 graduates, which is followed by employer and salary information.

Table: Employment of Graduates by College (WT Spring 2009)

COLLEGE Employed in Major Field

Employed in Major Field or Other Field

Total Number of Graduates

Percent of Graduates Employed in Major Field

Percent of Graduates Employed at time of graduation

ASE 18 36 90 20% 40%COB 29 51 80 36% 64%ESS 36 66 154 23% 43%FAH 28 66 139 20% 47%NHS 33 40 67 49% 60%WT TOTAL 144 259 530 27% 49%

Source: WTAMU Institutional Data (5-15-2009)

A. COB students employed in major fieldNumber

Annual Salary

ACFCO 1 $35,000 Allen Medical Marketing 1 Amarillo Com. Fed Credit Union 1 $25,000 Amarillo ISD 1 $42,000 Amidee Capital Group 1 $30,000 Blank - No info 2 Dallam Hartley Counties Hospital District 1 $50,000 Del Monte Foods 1 $50,000 Employer not identified

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Golf Etc. 1 $35,000 Happy State Bank/Gold Star Trust 5 $32,500 Hereford State Bank 1 $37,000 Idocket 1 $35,000 IRS 1 $38,100 Keith Davis 1 $25,000 Micro Beef Technologies 1 $40,000 Monk Properties 1 $60,000 New York Life Insurance 4 $60,000 Pantex 1 $60,000 PRPC 1 $20,000 Quakes Baseball 1 Texas Industries 1 $37,500 Total A. 29

B. COB students employed (not in major field) Number Annual Salary Amarillo Natural Gas 1 Aramark Corp 1 $40,000 Arden Company 1 $19,000 B L Bistro 1 $11,000 Bell-Lemley Billiards 2 $26,000 Blank 1 Calico County 1 $12,000 Chase Bank 1 $30,000 Dillards 1 $45,000 Dumas ISD 1 $48,777 Everblue Energy 1 First Bank Southwest 1 French and Co. 1 GNC 1 $45,000 H Bar H Turf Farms 1 $15,000 Outback Steakhouse 1 $30,000 Panhandle Plains Student Loan Center 1 Pioneer General Ctrs 1 PPSLC 1 $17,000 Sitel 1 $17,000 Valero Energy 1 $26,000 Total B. 22

Source: WTAMU Institutional Data (5-15-2009)

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AD HOC REPORT #32008-2009 FACULTY EBI SURVEY


The EBI faculty survey is comprised of College of Business faculty members surveyed during the 2008-2009 academic year. Official detailed documents from EBI are retained by the dean and the director of continuous improvement. The following sixteen institutions are included in the comparative groups with the select six comparisons for WT identified with an *:

Angelo State University*City University of New York, BaruchCalifornia State University, Stanislaus*Coastal Carolina UniversityFlorida State UniversityIndiana University NorthwestOhio State University*Rowan UniversitySan Francisco State University*Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi*University of AlbertaUniversity of ManitobaUniversity of Northern Colorado*University of the Pacific

WTAMU COB Strengths (rank 1 or 2 in peer select six comparisons): Administration (rank 1 of 7) Teaching Assignments and Schedule (rank 2 of 7) Faculty Influence (rank 2 of 7) Evaluation of Program Quality: BBA and MBA (rank 2 of 7) Culture (rank 1 of 7) Overall Program Effectiveness (rank 1 of 7)

WTAMU COB Weaknesses (rank 4, 5, 6 or 7 in peer select six comparisons): Evaluation of Teaching (rank 4 of 7) Program facilitation of Student Skills (rank 4 of 7) Innate Student Abilities (rank 4 of 7)

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Table: Summary of 2008-2009 EBI Faculty Survey Results (1-7 scale, where 7 is highest score):

Category WT Mean

Select 6 Mean

All 16 Institutions Mean

Comparative Rank for WT COB: select 6 rank

Comparative Rank for WT COB: 16 total participants

Faculty Support 5.32 4.28 4.36 3 of 7 4 of 16

Service to College and Profession

5.48 4.59 4.74 3 of 7 3 of 16

Computer and Technology Support

6.13 5.58 5.31 3 of 7 3 of 16

Faculty Development Support

5.51 4.62 4.77 2 of 7 2 of 16

Salary and Tenure & Promotion Process

5.44 4.40 4.52 3 of 7 4 of 16

Teaching Elements and Objectives

5.44 4.92 4.85 3 of 7 4 of 16

Evaluation of Teaching

4.67 4.23 4.30 4 of 7 5 of 16

Administration and Leadership

6.12 4.77 4.76 1 of 7 1 of 16

Efficiency of Teaching Schedules

6.14 5.35 5.37 2 of 7 2 of 16

Faculty Input and Influence on College

5.75 4.88 4.83 2 of 7 2 of 16

Program Student Skill Improvement

5.23 4.89 4.85 4 of 7 6 of 16

Quality of BBA and MBA Programs

5.65 4.77 4.81 2 of 7 2 of 16

Positive Work Culture

5.88 4.87 4.97 1 of 7 1 of 16

Innate Student Abilities

5.09 4.98 4.97 4 of 7 9 of 16

Overall Program Effectiveness

6.19 4.98 4.97 1 of 7 1 of 16

Source: Educational Benchmarking Institute (July 2009)

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AD HOC REPORT #42008-2009 STUDENT ENROLLMENTS


Table: Enrollment by Major Code: College of Business Fall 2001-2008

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008ENROLLMENT BY MAJOR CODE301 (BBA ACCT) 139 164 192 186 176 180 187 178309 (BBA FINANCE) 84 93 88 75 78 70 90 103306/319 (BBA/BS ECO) 16 13 15 19 16 22 24 25AEF Total 239 270 295 280 270 272 301 306

302 (BBA GBUS) 266 298 309 269 220 233 241 269311/315 (BBA MGT) 110 117 136 164 189 176 183 173313 (BBA MKT) 105 124 117 126 138 116 125 1211.1 MMGB Total 481 539 562 559 547 525 549 563

308 (BBA CIS) 145 158 125 120 111 97 87 871.2 CIS Total 234 261 208 189 173 97 87 87

UNDERGRADUATE TOTAL 865 965 982 959 928 894 937 956

5302/.... (MBA) 159 256 277 284 260 265 297 2385301/5321 (ACCT) 27 32 40 46 42 59 58 445320 (MSFE) 20 14 23 26 25 21 31 21

GRADUATE TOTAL 206 302 340 356 327 345 386 303

1.2.1 COB TOTAL1071 1267 1322 1325 1255 1239 1323 1259

WTAMU TOTAL 6679 6835 7084 7316 7281 7421 7508 7550

COB as % of WTAMU 17.4 20.1 19.8 18.9 18.1 16.7 17.6 16.7

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Table: Enrollment By Major Code: College of Business Spring 2001-2009

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009ENROLLMENT BY MAJOR CODE301 (BBA ACC) 171 149 179 190 187 158 179 170 174309 (BBA FIN) 99 86 81 79 78 72 72 96 95306/319 (BBA/BS ECO) 14 18 15 15 22 20 24 24 26AEF Total 284 253 275 284 287 250 275 290 295

302 (BBA GBUS) 271 288 275 271 217 217 188 223 208311 (BBA MGT) 153 126 104 144 151 188 171 182 154313 (BBA MKT) 131 122 118 121 138 131 117 111 1131.3 MMGB Total 555 536 497 536 506 536 476 516 475

308 (BBA CIS) 173 169 132 106 104 91 90 86 701.4 IDM Total 173 169 132 106 104 91 90 86 70

UNDERGRADUATE TOTAL 1012 958 904 926 897 877 841 892 840

5302/.... (MBA) 169 236 247 289 283 274 277 274 2335301/5321 (ACC) 34 27 31 46 42 45 67 45 625320 (MSFE) 16 19 14 30 28 25 32 28 16

GRADUATE TOTAL 219 282 292 365 353 344 376 347 311

1.4.1 COB TOTAL1231 1240 1196 1291 1250 1221 1217 1239 1151

WTAMU TOTAL 6253 6280 6443 6750 6903 6975 7003 6933 6944

COB as % of WTAMU 19.7 19.7 18.6 19.1 18.1 17.5 17.4 17.9 16.6

Conclusion: College of Business enrollment declined in the 2008-2009 academic year. The remodel of the Classroom Center created an environment that was not ideal for creating a COB community and recruiting majors. The July 2009 return to Classroom Center combined with the expansion of online course offering is expected to increase enrollment in 2010.

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AD HOC REPORT #52008-2009 CPA EXAMANINATION RESULTS


Summary results for 2008-2009 CPA examination efforts are as follows:

November 2008: 21 sections attempted and 13 sections passed for WT (61.9%)4,142 sections attempted and 2,284 passed for State of Texas (55.1%)

January 2009: 27 sections attempted and 15 sections passed for WT (55.5%)3,677 sections attempted and 1,837 passed for State of Texas (50.0%)

April 2009: 22 sections attempted and 8 sections passed for WT (36.4%)3,083 sections attempted and 1,607 passed for State of Texas (52.1%)

July 2009: 20 sections attempted and 4 sections passed for WT (20%)4,008 sections attempted and 2,182 passed for State of Texas Average (54.4%)

Total90 sections attempted and 40 sections passed for WT (44.4%)14,910 sections attempted and 7,910 passed for State of Texas Average (53.1%)

Comments: The results indicate that WT is scoring well average on the CPA examination. Despite the lower than average scores, the gap between the 2007-2008 examinations and state average has significantly narrowed. Exam results are strong for the first two reporting periods but very weak for the last two examination periods, especially July.

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